Haven High School: Senior Year
by EcoSeeker247
Summary: With the arrival of new students, Jak and Daxter, the seniors of Haven High School are about to find their world turned upside down. Will they be able to handle the inevitable drama of secrets, friendships, and a mystery long forgotten? *Game spoilers!*
1. Introduction

Okay! So this is my first Jak and Daxter fanfic story. This was just an idea that I've had for a while. I've never tried writing humor stories before, so let me know what you think. This is just an introduction, but I'll probably update it later. I hope you like it! :)

**DISCLAIMER: **Everything belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

The only sound echoing in the air at 7:00 in the morning was the usual engines on Zoomers. First period at Haven High School began at 7:30 and nobody wanted to be late. "Senior year, here we come!" one of the jocks, Erol, announced happily as he parked his Zoomer and went to find his friends.

"I hear ya!" his best friend, Torn, agreed with him as he gazed at the building in front of them, "You know, I'm gonna miss this place when we graduate."

"Ha! I won't," Erol added, spitting onto the pavement, "I can't wait to get out of here!" He and Torn approached the school slowly to meet up with their other friends.

Meanwhile, Samos Hagai and his daughter, Keira, arrived in the parking lot. "Ahh, it's good to be back," Samos sighed as he carefully grabbed his plant, "One more year of teaching biology to all of you."

"Don't worry, Daddy," Keira assured him, "Everything will be great this year, you'll see."

"Just don't get involved with that hoodlum again, okay?"

Keira rolled her eyes. She loved her father, but sometimes, he could be so overprotective. "He's not a hoodlum," she insisted, " And I won't." She hugged her father. "See you in class," she said. Samos walked away.

"Hi, Keira!" a few familiar voices cried happily, "It's good to see you again!" Keira turned to see her friends Tess, Ashelin, and Rayn.

"Hey, guys!" Keira greeted, hugging all of them one by one, "How were all your summers?"

"Not bad," Ashelin replied, "Yours?"

"Not bad. I wonder if our senior year will be as dramatic as our junior year."

"You know it will be," Tess said, "We have to decide what we want to do after this year."

"Morning, ladies," another familiar voice cut in. Keira, Tess, Ashelin, and Rayn all turned to see Erol, Torn, and some of the other jocks approach them.

"Hey, boys," Rayn greeted in a cool, clipped English accent, just like her father, Krew.

"So," Erol continued, "Senior year. You know what that means, right?" He flicked his gaze to Keira as he said this.

"More partying and having fun before we all go our separate ways!" Torn finished for Erol as they pounded fists, "In fact, we're having our first party this weekend, and you're all invited." The four girls beamed, but then Keira remembered her father's warning. She wasn't that much of a partier anyway, and she always preferred to stay at home and work on a new vehicle project.

"_Attention, everyone!_" a robotic voice announced, "_All students please report to your first period class. Repeat: please report to your first period classes. Enjoy your day!_"

"Who do you all have now?" Torn asked as everyone whipped out pieces of paper with schedules on them.

"I've got Physics," Erol replied, glancing at his schedule in disgust.

"So do we," Keira and Ashelin replied, waving their schedules.

"I've got Gym," Tess whined.

"Oh, you'll survive," Ashelin teased, "Come on, let's go." She, Keira, Erol, and Torn all walked together towards their Physics class, not noticing the new Zoomer that was pulling into the parking lot.

* * *

A tall man with white dreadlocks parked his Zoomer in the school parking lot and stared up at the magnificent structure in front of him. Next to him, a young teenager with short, blond hair, blue eyes, and brown and blue clothing took a deep breath.

"Don't worry, my son," the white-haired man assured him, "Everything will be okay. I know this city setting is new to you, but we'll get used to it. I promise."

"Yeah, don't worry, Jak," the orange ottsel on the teenager's shoulder piped up, "We've taken on much worse than this. It's just a school, right?"

"I guess so," Jak replied, staring up at the building, "What if they don't accept me, though? You know, because of who I am?"

"Then we'll _make _them accept you!" Daxter chimed in, making Jak laugh, "Right, Damas?"

"Now, now, Daxter," Damas chided him, "We cannot make them accept Jak, but we can make sure he's happy here. I want you to look after him today."

"No problem!" the ottsel replied as Jak climbed off the Zoomer.

"Have a good day, son!" Damas said, hugging Jak, "I'll be back to pick you up later." He gunned the engine on his Zoomer to life and flew away. Jak stared after him before turning his attention back to Haven High School.

"So, what class do you have first?" Daxter asked. Jak whipped out a schedule from his bag.

"Physics," he answered, "Let's go find the classroom." He entered the building slowly, anticipating what the people here would be like, if they would be different from his hometown.

* * *

Don't forget to read and review! The next chapter should be up shortly. :)


	2. Blue Eco Physics

Since the introduction was a little short, I've decided to go ahead and post this next chapter. I had a pretty good time writing it, so I hope you enjoy it, too!

**DISCLAIMER: **Everything belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

The class size was growing slowly as Keira and her friends entered the room and all took their seats near the middle. Down below, by the blackboard, Dr. Vin was hurriedly erasing the board and writing the usual introductory information on it. "What's he still paranoid for?" Erol whispered to the others.

"He's always been like that," Ashelin replied, "You know that."

"Yeah," Erol said, "For no reason!" He and Torn began cracking up.

"Come on, guys," Keira spoke up, "That's not funny."

"Oh, Keira," Torn responded, "Lighten up a little bit. We're just kidding."

"If you say so," Keira muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes.

"W-well, now," Dr. Vin began, silencing the class, "Welcome back to your last year at Haven High School, which means unfortunately, this will be the last year I get to teach you Physics. I promise, there won't be another Red Eco explosion in the laboratory." Erol reclined in his seat and smiled smugly at the memory. Everyone around him began to laugh.

"Not funny!" Vin snapped, "Someone could have been badly injured." The class instantly quieted down at this.

"Now," he continued, "I am going to pass out the syllabus for this course. I want you all to read it carefully and then take it home to have your parents sign their names at the bottom." He passed one around to each student, and as they all quietly read it, the door up ahead opened.

"Excuse me," an unfamiliar voice started, "Is this first period Physics with Dr. Vin?" Everyone looked up at the new student that had walked into the room. Vin stopped what he was doing and squealed in surprise.

"Oh!" he gasped, "Y-you must be Jak. Y-yes. Principal Veger told me you would be arriving. So w-welcome! Everyone, this is Jak and…I'm sorry, but p-pets aren't allowed in the building." He pointed to the orange ottsel on Jak's shoulder.

"Hey!" the ottsel suddenly snapped, "Who are you calling a pet, sack of nerves?" Everyone gasped.

"That animal just talked!" someone in the back shouted in shock.

"Oh!" Vin squealed, dropping his clipboard, "I-I'm terribly sorry…umm…What did you say your name was again?"

"I go by many names!" the ottsel replied proudly, "But I prefer Orange Lightning!"

"Daxter," Jak cut in, "His name is Daxter." Erol and Torn snickered into their hands.

"Oh, well, welcome, I suppose. Here is a copy of the syllabus for this course. Have your parents sign it and bring it back tomorrow morning." Jak nodded silently, a determined line forming on his mouth. He went to go find the one empty seat in the room.

"Whoa," Ashelin gasped, "Who _is _that guy? He's pretty cute."

Keira didn't reply, as her eyes had been glued to Jak throughout the entire exchange between him and Dr. Vin. He didn't look like anybody from Haven City, so she was dying to find out more about him. Two seats over, Erol glanced from Keira to Jak and suddenly felt annoyed.

_Who is this freak? _He thought to himself. As Jak moved closer to the empty seat, Erol automatically found himself resting his feet onto the chair. Jak stopped and stared at him.

"Oh, sorry," Erol apologized insincerely as he moved his feet and allowed Jak to sit in front of him.

"All right, then!" Vin piped up, grabbing the class's attention once more, "As you all know, I usually start this class off with us going around the room and introducing ourselves. Why don't we start with you, Jak, since you're new here?"

"Uhh, okay," Jak replied, clearing his throat, "Well, my name is Jak, and I just moved here from Spargus City with my dad last week."

"Spargus City?" Erol asked dubiously, "Where's that?"

"In the Wasteland," Jak answered, a proud smile forming on his face.

"So not only is he cute, but he's a Wastelander, too," Ashelin whispered to Keira, who giggled in agreement.

"But nobody lives beyond these walls!" Torn protested, "How is that possible?"

"Oh, it's possible, all right!" Daxter chimed in from Jak's shoulder, "I suggest you check out the Oasis sometime. It's beautiful!"

Erol laughed. "You really expect us to believe your story?" he asked. Jak narrowed his eyes and nodded.

"Yes, because it's true." Erol shrugged and looked away just as Vin cleared his throat.

"O-okay, you two," he lectured, "Settle down, now. It's time to get started." Jak turned away from Erol and sat down.

Vin rushed around the room, collected five colorful jars, and set them on his desk. "Now that you all are seniors," he continued nervously, "I will become more relaxed with you guys using Eco…"

"_Are you serious_?" Erol suddenly blurted out randomly, "_You? _Relaxed?" A few other people started to laugh (more out of shock than anything) as Erol and Torn high-fived each other.

Vin straightened out his glasses and glared at the brash redhead. "Yes, Erol," he snapped, losing all of his usual nervousness and clumsiness, "Except if I remember correctly from last year, _you're _banned from using Red Eco." Erol looked thunderstruck for a minute before regaining his composure, which made Jak and Daxter wonder what could have happened to make him not allowed to use Red Eco.

"A-anyway," Vin sighed, exasperated, "We will still be using Eco in controlled environments. Even Dark Eco."

"No Light Eco?" Jak suddenly piped up, making everyone swivel his or her head to stare at the new kid.

"I-I'm sorry, Jak?" Vin stammered.

"I said we're not going to use Light Eco?"

"Well-well no," Vin answered, "It's so rare it's nearly impossible to find in Haven City."

_Hmm, _Jak thought, _Interesting. _

"Let's begin with the introductory notes. We will first discuss the mechanics behind Eco." He turned to the blackboard and began to hastily write notes with a small piece of chalk. Everyone rushed to grab notebooks and pens to keep up with him. To Jak's surprise, Daxter kept quiet the whole time; as much as he was a goofball at home, he still respected that Jak was there to learn.

"…in order to calculate the velocity of blue eco from a distance of ten meters," Vin was prattling on as Jak tried to remember all the equations that were being thrown at him. _Was school in Spargus always this fast? _He thought.

Meanwhile, Keira was stealing glances at Jak every now and then when Vin would take a break from writing notes on the board. She studied his blond hair, his lips, his toned arms, and the ottsel on his shoulder. She hoped that he would be in some more of her classes so that she could get to know him.

"So do you really believe Jak's story?" Ashelin whispered into her ear, "That he's from Spargus City?"

Keira nodded subtly. "I do," she whispered back, "Erol's just being himself. Which is a bad thing." Ashelin chuckled into her hand.

"Girls!" Vin shouted from down below, "Stop talking!" Both of them instantly shut up, shocked from their teacher's non-stammering outburst.

* * *

Because the Physics class was a double-period class, Vin moved on to the first laboratory period of the year. "E-everyone, g-gather around my desk!" he ordered, screaming at the sudden stampede in order to get a closer look at the Eco they had been using for the last four years, only with Dark Eco being a new addition.

"We'll start with a reintroduction to Green, Blue, Red, and Yellow Eco," Vin explained, going through all four of them as if he were reading off a checklist.

"Yawn," Erol muttered under his breath, earning an elbowing in the waist from Ashelin.

"I think you've insulted Dr. Vin enough, Erol," Ashelin explained, "It was funny before, but not now. No wonder the poor guy's paranoid all the time."

"Oh, please," Erol scoffed, waving his friend off and pointing to Dark Eco.

"What's Dark Eco for?" he asked. Vin looked up and gasped.

"Oh!" he cried, "This here is the most d-dangerous eco on our planet! Messing with Dark Eco could cost you your life! Especially if you don't study the physics behind it! We won't be handling this one until later on in the year, when I feel you are ready." Jak and Daxter glanced at each other furtively as Vin set the Dark Eco far away from the class.

"Now," he continued, straightening out his glasses, "I have constructed these Eco beams that will shoot out whatever Eco you tell it to. Since this is allowing you to become reacquainted with Eco, you will practice choosing which one you think is correct. Who would like to volunteer first?" Nobody raised his or her hand, not even Keira, who was really immersing herself into this class once again.

"N-no one?" Vin asked, trembling.

"I'll volunteer," Jak answered, making everyone stare at him again. He pushed his way through the crowd and felt Erol's gaze scorch into his neck.

"Thank you!" the professor squealed, "I owe ya for this, you know." Jak stepped next to the Eco beam.

"You've used Eco before, I gather?"

Jak nodded. "All of them," he said.

Everyone gasped. "Even Dark Eco?" Torn asked skeptically. The blond teenager nodded.

"Even Dark Eco," he echoed.

"Liar," Erol hissed from behind him, which elicited a death glare from Daxter.

"Don't forget to put gloves on!" Vin warned Jak. The teenager slipped a blue pair of gloves on at the professor's insistence and went to go stick his hand in the Blue Eco tunnel.

"T-this may hurt a little bit," Vin said feebly, "Blue Eco is very fast, although you know that already." He pulled a lever, and blue eco suddenly rushed through the tubes and into Jak's hand. Everyone watched as he stumbled back a little bit. The Blue Eco sparked and traveled up his arm with no apparent side effects. Under its influence, Jak raced forward, shot the Blue Eco through the Eco beam, and allowed it to make contact with an empty flask up ahead. Because of the super speed of the Blue Eco, the glass shattered, sending pieces flying around the room.

"AHH!" Vin cried, "Everyone, duck! Hide me!" He crouched down to the floor and covered his head. A mechanical arm suddenly descended from the ceiling and began to sweep up the remains of the flask.

The rest of the students slowly stood back up and gaped at Jak, watching as the Blue Eco glowed around his arm. He just stared, helplessly, and wondered what everyone was thinking of his little performance.

"Whoa," Erol gasped, "That's…_different_."

* * *

Right, so that was the next chapter. I know it was a little short, but I'll try and make them longer later. Don't forget to read and review! :)


	3. First Day Surprises

To everyone who's reviewed this story so far, thank you. I really appreciate it. I've made this chapter a little longer than the others, so sit back, relax, and enjoy! ;)

**DISCLAIMER: **Everything belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

"_There _you are, Jak! Finally!" Daxter cried five minutes later as he spotted his friend emerging from a bathroom stall.

"I've been looking for you ever since Physics was dismissed!" the ottsel continued, "After you just took off like that!"

Jak sighed. "You would've taken off too if you felt awkward like I did," he replied, washing his hands in the sink and staring at himself in the mirror.

After Jak had shattered the flask with Blue Eco, Vin had insisted that all the students return to their seats. Nobody could take his or her eyes off Jak for the rest of the period, which made him feel even more uncomfortable than he already was. Therefore, he was relieved when the bell signaling the end of the class rang, and even though he was not using Blue Eco at the moment, he was still the first one out the door before anyone else could pack away notebooks and pens.

"Don't worry about those other losers!" Daxter advised his friend, "They're the ones that are crazy, not us! They'll learn to like us someday!"

"You make it sound so easy," Jak teased as he reached for his schedule again, "Looks like I have Gym next. Hopefully, I won't have to use Blue Eco."

Suddenly, the door to the boys' bathroom opened, and both of them looked up to see one of the boys from their Physics class. Jak recognized him as the one who had claimed that it was impossible to live in the Wasteland. If they remembered correctly, his name was Torn, from when Vin had called on him for a question. The auburn-haired boy took one look at them and went to splash water on his face in the sink next to them.

"So," he chuckled, "You guys are new here, huh? This must be a lot different from the Wasteland." He smirked, which made Jak angry. The blond Wastelander pounded his fist on the sink.

"You still think I'm making that up?" he growled, "I'm telling you, there's a full-functioning city beyond these walls!"

Torn laughed again. "Relax, Jak," he replied, "I'm just messing with you. I do this with all the new kids."

"Well, you guys are sure giving us one _hell _of a welcome!" Daxter piped up from Jak's shoulder, "What's next? Getting shoved into a locker?"

"Nah, I usually leave that to Erol." Once again, he was greeted with death glares from Jak and Daxter.

"Joking!" he insisted, "We don't do that. But I bet Erol would."

"Erol," Jak echoed, "Was that the kid sitting behind me? The one who's apparently banned from using Red Eco?"

"And the one who had his feet all over your chair? Yep, you've got it." All of them rolled their eyes.

"What on earth happened where he's banned from Red Eco?" Jak asked with a lot of curiosity.

Torn sighed and answered, "It's a long story, and I would tell it to you, but I'm going to be late for biology. See you around, Jak." He turned and went to walk out the door, stopped, and then spun around again.

"Wow, I can't believe I forgot to do this before," he added, "I'm Torn." He shook Jak's hand and then flew out the door again. Jak and Daxter just stared after him before they left the bathroom as well.

"He's not freaked out over what happened in Physics?" Daxter asked as they headed towards the gymnasium.

"He probably is, but he feels he has to be nice to me now because of it," Jak answered. The two of them fell silent as Daxter reached for a school map. He held it in front of his face and directed Jak towards the gym. Along the way, somebody addressed them.

"You're the new guys, aren't you?" a female voice spoke up, making Daxter lower the map and gasp.

"Yes, we are, baby!" the ottsel replied, widening his eyes and wiggling his eyebrows, "I am Orange Lightning! And this is my sidekick, Jak!" The girl laughed, after getting over the initial shock of hearing an animal speak.

Jak rolled his eyes. "Don't mind Daxter," he told the girl, "Listen, do you know the fastest way to the gym?"

"I just came from there," she replied with a shudder, "Just follow this hallway like you've been doing and make a right. It's the last room on your left. I'm Tess, by the way." She shook Jak's hand.

"I'm Jak," Jak replied, "Thanks for showing us where the gym is."

"No problem," Tess said, rolling her eyes, "Have fun. It was nice meeting you, too, Daxter!" She grinned and walked away.

"Whoa, she's hot!" Daxter exclaimed as soon as she was a fair distance down the hallway.

"You think every girl is hot," Jak joked, feeling immensely better and less awkward from the incident in Physics. They followed Tess's directions and soon found the gym. As they pushed the door open, they found much of the class sitting already and waiting for the teacher. There were mostly unfamiliar faces, but both of them recognized a few of the students from Physics, including Erol. As soon as the redhead noticed them, he stopped whispering to his friends and grinned. _No doubt they're talking about what happened in Physics, _Jak thought, annoyed. Suddenly, the awkwardness returned when once again, Jak and Daxter were forced to sit near Erol.

"Is that the guy who shattered a flask with Blue Eco?" a voice behind them asked in a not so subtle whisper. Jak closed his eyes and tried to block out the giggles that followed.

From everyone's left, another door opened, and the class quieted down as the teacher finally arrived. "All, right, class!" he announced, "Let's get started, mmm?"

At first, Jak and Daxter were speechless, and they glanced at each other, thunderstruck. "Oh my Precursors," Jak muttered under his breath. Their gym teacher wasn't anything like they expected; he was obese to the point where he couldn't even walk. His legs were spindly, even though one could barely see them due to the mechanical chair he was hovering in. Rolls of fat draped over the side of the chair, and there were slight tears in his green outfit.

"Ahh, I believe we have a new student among us, eh?" he continued, staring down at Jak and Daxter and flying close to them. Although Jak didn't mean to, he drew back a little bit.

"You're Jak, right?" he asked, "I am Professor Krew. Not only will I be your physical education teacher, but I am also the head of the department, eh?"

The Wastelander didn't say a word at first. What could he say? Gym teachers back in Spargus City were always healthy and in shape. How could Haven City let the _head of the physical education department _get to the weight he was at now? "Please tell me this is a dream," he muttered, "I-I mean, yes, I'm Jak. And this is Daxter."

"So let's get something straight!" Daxter began, "_You're _our gym teacher? You do realize there's _physical activity _involved in this class, right? How will _you _pull off all the exercises?" Everyone gasped at the ottsel's bold attitude and watched as Krew narrowed his eyes until they became slits.

"I will pull them off if it's the last thing I do, eh?" the professor growled, making Daxter lean back as well.

"Whoa!" the ottsel cried, waving his hand in front of his face, "Toothpaste is your friend, buddy." Luckily, Krew didn't hear him as he flew away.

"You all remember from the last three years that you need gym in order to graduate, mmm," Krew explained, "Well, I am happy to announce that I will be having a teacher's assistant this year."

"Good," Daxter whispered to Jak, "Because he'll surely need it." Jak chuckled into his hand.

"Who?" Erol asked, crossing his feet conveniently onto the back of Jak's chair again.

"Me!" another voice replied. Everyone craned his or her neck to see a tall, dark-skinned man standing next to Krew. He wore layers of gray clothing and carried a staff in his hand.

"The name's Sig," he introduced himself, "And Professor Krew enlisted me to make sure all of you pass this class like you're supposed to. It won't be easy, but some of you need to learn a little _discipline_." He unintentionally fixed his gaze on Erol, who glowered back at him.

"Anyway, we'll start with warm up exercises today, mmm," Krew announced, "Everyone, leave your belongings in the bleachers and gather around the center of the gym." The whole class got up and ran down the side of the bleachers, Erol bumping into Jak on the way.

"What's your problem?" Jak snapped, unable to control his anger. The redhead turned around and smirked at him.

"You're fresh meat," he replied smugly, "Let's leave it at that." He laughed and turned to walk away.

"Just ignore him, Jak," Daxter whispered comfortingly once they arrived in the middle of the room.

Krew blew a whistle and said, "Let's start with ten pushups, eh? Sig will do them with you to make sure you're doing them right." Everyone got into the ready position.

"And…go!" Krew bellowed. The students began the ten pushups, with Sig coaching them until they did them perfectly. Jak and Daxter glanced at each other and decided that Sig would make a much better Gym teacher than Krew. At one point, the two of them looked up and noticed Krew reaching for a box of doughnuts. He popped them in his mouth two at a time and licked the powder off his fingers. "Trust me, he does not need to be eating that," Jak whispered to Daxter, who nodded in agreement.

This caught Sig's attention, because he suddenly turned around and snapped, "Silence in the back!" Jak and Daxter instantly shut up, and Erol chuckled quietly to himself again.

The rest of gym basically went the same way, with Jak being baffled at how Krew became qualified to be a gym teacher.

"Now, remember, eh?" Krew reminded all the students, "We will meet three times a week, mmm. Dress accordingly, and bring this contract home for your parents to sign." Sig passed out the class contracts.

"And again with the contracts," Daxter mumbled as they exited the gym.

"Hey! You two!" another unfamiliar voice called to them in an English accent similar to Krew's. Jak and Daxter turned around to see yet another girl approach them. And she didn't look too happy.

"That was rude back there, you know," she snapped at Daxter, "That was my father you insulted. Professor Krew."

"Oh!" Jak gasped, widening his eyes, "I'm so sorry. We didn't know!"

"He's _your _father?" Daxter screeched, "You two look nothing alike!"

The girl sighed. "Yes, we get that all the time," she huffed, "But it still doesn't excuse anything. You owe him an apology." Daxter shook his head in shock.

"We're sorry," Jak apologized, "We didn't mean any harm…umm…I'm sorry, but what's your name?"

"I'm Rayn." Rayn nodded, then tossed her dark, brown hair behind her shoulder, and walked away, throwing a glance at the two of them.

"Sheesh," Daxter commented, "People need to learn how to lighten up a little bit around here."

* * *

"Finally, a free period!" Ashelin cried happily as she and Keira walked to the common area together. They sat outside on some benches where they could overlook the gardens leading to Haven Forest.

"Did you see all the different clubs and sports teams?" Keira asked, "They're setting up tables on the front lawn of the school."

"Yeah, Torn and Erol were getting the racing team one together," Ashelin replied, "Have you noticed Erol's never lost a single race he's in?"

"Yep. He's pretty good. A little arrogant, but good. He is the captain, after all."

"Torn's been trying to get me to race for a while. I've definitely given it some thought."

"I could be a mechanic for them," Keira suggested thoughtfully.

Ashelin grinned. "Yeah, I bet Erol would love that," she teased, "He's still in love with you, you know."

"Oh, please, Ash. No, he's not."

"He invited you to his and Torn's party this weekend, didn't he?"

"It doesn't mean I have to go."

"You guys!" Tess cried, spotting them and running over to them, "Guess what? I met that new kid, Jak, a little while ago! Totally gorgeous! And that little ottsel on his shoulder is adorable!"

Both Ashelin and Keira grinned. "You saw him, too, huh?" Ashelin replied, "He is cute! We had Physics with him this morning. Did you hear about him using the Blue Eco and not getting hurt?"

Tess nodded. "I did," she answered, "I wonder what that's all about. I say we invite him to sit with us today at lunch, if he has it the same period we do."

"If any of us sees him, we'll ask," Keira piped up.

"Well, I've got to get to my Robotics class now," Tess announced, "But I thought I'd spread the good word. Bye, girls!" She bounced away happily.

"You've gotta love Tess," Ashelin mused, "She's always so happy."

"I know," Keira agreed. The two of them continued to think about Jak as they closed their eyes and enjoyed the sunshine.

"I felt bad for him during Physics," Keira added a minute later, "That had to be awkward, what happened with the Blue Eco."

"Yeah," Ashelin agreed, "But I'm sure it'll pass. He'll tell us eventually what's going on with him. I'd like to know why he moved _here _out of all places, though."

"Wouldn't we all?" Keira replied jokingly.

* * *

Jak and Daxter walked through the hallway in an attempt to find the Principal's office; they had been called out of their English class for something and they didn't know what.

"Hey, Dax?" Jak began as he pushed the door open, "No wise-cracking comments this time, okay? This is the _principal _we're talking to. We want to be on his good side."

"Aww, man," the ottsel whined sighing, "Fine. But I get first dibs on comments once we leave here."

"Deal," Jak decided, grinning. They entered the air-conditioned office and quickly found Principal Veger's office. Jak knocked on the door.

"Ahh, Jak," Principal Veger greeted as soon as he answered the door, "It's good to see you." Both boys looked up at the rather tall man standing in front of them, who was wearing purple and black robes, had short, black hair, and carried a staff very similar to Sig's.

"You wanted to see me, Mr. Veger?" Jak asked.

Veger nodded. "Yes. Come in." He ushered Jak and Daxter into the room and shut the door behind them.

Sitting behind his desk and shuffling some papers around, Veger commented, "So, I heard about what happened in Physics this morning. You were able to use Blue Eco with no painful side effects?" Neither Jak nor Daxter replied.

"How did you do that?" Veger continued.

Jak shrugged. "I don't know," he answered, "I've always been able to use Eco like that."

"Without any training? It's very uncommon for people to be able to use Eco in such a way that you did. It takes years for people to get over the pain."

"Well, my dad was always there to make sure I wasn't hurt, but-"

"That's not the point!" the principal suddenly burst out, shocking Jak and Daxter, "The point is that you should not be able to handle Eco better than the way you did. Not at your age, anyway." There was a pause for a second.

"You're free to go now," Veger announced, waving Jak and Daxter away, "You've answered my question." And without any hesitation, Jak and Daxter got up and ran out of the office just as Veger added under his breath, "Not."

Once the two boys were back in the hallway, Daxter rolled his eyes and quipped, "Well, that was weirder than having Professor Krew as a gym teacher! Is he always like that with other students?"

"I don't know, Dax," Jak answered, "We'll find out for sure someday." What they didn't know was that "someday" would be sooner than they thought.

* * *

Oh boy. This story is turning out a lot different than I thought it would. Keep reading to see what happens next! :)


	4. Green Eco Biology

Hey, hey, hey! I'm back with more _Haven High School: Senior Year _fun. Here's chapter four, "Green Eco Biology". Enjoy! And don't forget to read and review! :)

**DISCLAIMER: **Everything belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

The rest of the morning passed with no problems for Jak and Daxter, and they were relieved when it was finally lunchtime. The two of them and Torn left Calculus in order to head to the cafeteria.

"The rest of the gang should be there," Torn explained, "The ones you haven't met already."

"Okay," Jak replied, taking deep breaths. So far, he had to admit that this school was just a little bit strange, but he had met a few nice people so far, like Torn and Tess. He hoped the rest of Torn's gang would be just as friendly.

The three of them entered the large cafeteria, where the school's flag hung proudly in the middle of the room: All the different colors of Eco surrounding the image of the legendary Precursors.

"Yo, Torn!" they heard Erol shout from across the room, "Over here!" Torn smiled and began heading towards his friends, but Jak grabbed his arm.

"Torn, wait," he began, "Maybe this isn't a good idea."

Torn raised an eyebrow. "Why not?" he asked.

"I don't think Erol likes me. He's been giving me hell all morning."

"He's like that with everyone," Torn attempted to argue, but when Jak was still not convinced, he added, "I'll straighten him out if I have to."

Jak took a deep breath. "Okay, let's go." Torn nodded and led Jak and Daxter through the cafeteria. The table Torn's friends sat at was huge. Erol was there, along with Rayn, Tess, and two other girls that Jak recognized from Physics, but still didn't know their names. One of them was short, and had shoulder-length blue-green hair and green eyes, and the other one had long, red hair that she wore in dreadlocks. Both of them turned around and also waved Torn over.

"Hey, boys!" the red-haired girl greeted, "Park it right here!" She patted the empty seat next to her, which Torn claimed instantly. He wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her on the lips. Daxter made gagging motions when nobody was looking, and Jak rolled his eyes at his friend.

"Oh, get a room, you two!" Erol teased, pointing at them. Both Rayn and Tess laughed, and then Tess turned to Jak. "Hi, Jak! Hi, Daxter!" she said to them, "Come sit with us."

"Okay, sugarplum!" Daxter replied, leaping down from Jak's shoulder and climbing onto the table. Jak sat down next to Tess and glanced over at the two girls from his Physics class.

"So, Jak," Torn started, "I think you've met most of the group already. But just in case you haven't…" He pointed to everyone at the table.

"This is Erol, Tess, Ashelin, Rayn, and Keira," he introduced respectively. Tess, Ashelin, and Keira waved enthusiastically while Rayn and Erol nodded coldly. Apparently, Rayn was still holding a grudge against Jak and Daxter for insulting Krew.

"So what do you think of Haven High so far?" Ashelin asked as everyone began eating the lunch that Kleiver, the man working behind the counter, had provided for them.

Jak shrugged. "It's…strange," he replied, "But okay so far."

"_Strange_?" Daxter piped up from the middle of the table, "We have a Physics teacher who thinks everything is out to get him, a gym teacher who barely performs any physical activity, and a principal who is obsessed with the Blue Eco incident! I'd say strange is an understatement!" Rayn glowered at the ottsel again upon him mentioning her father.

"You haven't even seen how strange this city can get," Tess assured them, "You will over time."

"If you think Haven City is strange, you should see back home," Daxter replied, "So there I was, head to head with _three _nasty Metal Heads! They were swooping in for the kill, but did I give up? No! As they moved closer, I…"

"Okay, Daxter, that's enough!" Jak joked, "Besides, you're telling the story wrong. I was there, too."

"Metal Heads?" Keira suddenly spoke up from next to Ashelin, "You've seen Metal Heads? What were they like?" She leaned across the table so she could face Jak. Soon, the whole table, even Rayn, was focused on the new kid. Only Erol decided not to pay attention; instead, the redhead played with his spoon as a means of distraction.

Jak shook his head. "They were big, fearsome creatures. Wasteland Metal Heads are nothing to mess with. They're so big that Dax and I needed special cars in order to destroy them."

"Whoa," everyone gasped, hanging onto the Wastelander's every word. _Oh, please, _Erol thought, still playing with his spoon.

"You took them out all by yourself?" Torn asked in amazement.

"Oh, yeah!" Daxter answered, "Impressed, aren't you?"

"That's really something," Ashelin said, "There were Metal Heads here, too, for a while, but they were driven out of the city a long time ago." She suddenly narrowed her eyes as she thought about something.

"Why did you two move here, anyway?" she asked.

At first, neither Jak nor Daxter replied, but then, Jak cleared his throat and explained, "Dad thought I was getting too much sun out in the desert, so he wanted to see how I would like the city. He wanted me to socialize with someone other than a bunch of Metal Heads." Everyone laughed at that last part, but even as Jak cautiously joined in, he thought about how much of a lie that was. Sure, Damas did want him to experience an urban environment, but that was only a part of it; nobody needed to know the _other _half. Not yet, anyway.

"Well, I hope you end up liking Haven City, for all its weirdness," Tess said, flipping her hair out of her eyes.

Jak shook his head again. "Thanks," he mumbled, "So tell me about you guys!"

Suddenly, the bell rang, unfortunately cutting Torn's friends off before they could tell Jak and Daxter about themselves. "Damn it!" Torn cursed under his breath, "Where are you all headed now?"

"Biology," Jak replied, staring down at his schedule.

Keira's green eyes lit up. "Really?" she cried excitedly, "Me too!" Daxter made goo-goo eyes at her and then winked at Jak. From the corner of his eye, the blond teenager could see Erol fuming now.

"We can walk over there together!" Torn joined in, "Because I have English not too far from there. We'll catch you later, Rayn!" Rayn smiled coolly and waved back.

"Guys, wait!" Erol suddenly called after them, "I want to talk to Jak for a minute."

Torn and Jak glanced at each other. "Okay?" Torn replied, "We'll just meet you by the exit of the cafeteria, then." He, Keira, Tess, and Ashelin walked away.

As soon as they were gone, Erol poked Jak in the shoulder and glared at him. "Listen, Freak," he snapped, "You've only been here for a day and you think you can win over my friends already? Well, you're wrong. Unless you never want to show your face in this school again, I suggest you back off for your own good. And stop making up stories just to impress them."

Jak planted his feet firmly on the ground and frowned at the redhead. He _knew _there was a reason Erol was picking on him all morning. "I'm not making anything up," he growled, "And you can forget it. I'm not going anywhere."

"They're just being nice to you out of pity for what happened in Physics."

"Oh yeah?" Daxter snapped, "What makes you think that?"

Erol laughed. "Torn doesn't befriend anybody unless he thinks they would make good friends. He's faking it. They all are."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Jak snapped, suddenly feeling a crackling sensation in his body, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were jealous."

"Me? _Jealous_? You couldn't be any more mistaken. I've got to go now, but I'll see you around, Eco Freak." He winked and marched out of the cafeteria, leaving Jak fuming with rage. The crackling continued, so the blond Wastelander quickly hurried to Torn's side so he could calm down. To add to Jak's mood at the moment, Kleiver leaned in and whispered, "Enjoy the rest of your day, newbies."

* * *

"What did Erol want?" Tess asked as she, Ashelin, Keira, and Jak walked into Biology after parting ways with Torn.

Jak and Daxter glanced at each other again. Should they tell the truth? "He just wanted to give me some 'advice' about Haven High," he half-lied. As much as the rebellious redhead got under his skin, he couldn't help but wonder if Erol was right. Was Torn just being nice to him because of Physics? He didn't want to know. The group entered the Biology room, where a short man with light green skin, white hair, and sandals with wooden platforms stood at the board. He wore an explorer's outfit and also carefully balanced a log on his head. "Whoa," Daxter whispered to Jak, "Check out old greenie!"

The Biology teacher must have heard the ottsel, because he suddenly turned around and snapped, "Excuse me, but you are talking to the Green Eco Sage! My name is Professor Samos Hagai, and I will be your biology teacher this year. You must be Jak, and whoever your obnoxious rodent friend is." He narrowed his eyes at Daxter, even through the large glasses he wore.

Before Jak could say anything, Samos continued, "Hurry up and take a seat now! Class is about to begin and I have much to cover!" The two of them took a seat next to Ashelin, with Jak becoming relieved that Erol was not in this class.

"I should have warned you he was a little crabby," Ashelin whispered.

"A little?" Daxter echoed sarcastically. Up one row and to his right, Jak could have sworn he saw Keira face palm herself.

"All right, class!" Samos began, clearing his throat, "Welcome back to your last year of Biology. I know you have been looking forward to handling Green Eco once again." This was met with a few groans, but a lot more cheers. Jak and Daxter figured this must have been one of the more popular classes at Haven High.

"And to add to your excitement, I have decided to try something different this year," Samos continued, "We will take weekly field trips to Haven Forest to explore the plants." Now everybody cheered, and Samos beamed with pride.

"Yes, it is very rewarding to see students so fascinated with Green Eco," he replied.

"I _love _Haven Forest," Tess whispered to Jak and Daxter, "It's so beautiful. You guys will love it, too."

"Let's check it out sometime," Daxter suggested, winking at the blonde girl next to him.

"Stop talking back there!" Samos suddenly snapped, turning to Daxter, "Since you love to talk so much, why don't you come up here and be my assistant?"

"Are you sure?" Jak asked.

Samos smiled. "Positive." Daxter glowered at his friend, hopped down from his shoulder, and approached the Green Sage.

"Give me your paw…what's your name again?"

"Orange Lightning!" Daxter introduced angrily just as Jak answered, "Daxter!" The ottsel held out his paw unwillingly as Samos reached for a sterile knife and made a small cut on his paw.

"Ow!" Daxter snapped, "What the heck did you do to me?"

"Just wait a minute," Samos chided, "My Precursors, you're so impatient…" He called on some Green Eco in his hand and then used it to heal the gash on Daxter's paw. Everyone watched in amazement as the cut disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, and by now, the ottsel was boiling with anger.

"That was completely unnecessary, old greenie!" he snapped, eliciting a rather frightening glare from the Green Sage.

"Because of your impertinence, I would like you to be my assistant for the rest of the year!" Samos decided, "How about that?"

Daxter sighed. "And so it begins," he muttered under his breath.

Like Physics, Biology was also a double period, and Samos breezed through the lecture first. Like Vin, he wrote notes on the board as well, but he also showed slides of different plants and Green Eco. _Dr. Vin should take a page out of Professor Hagai's book, _Jak thought to himself, finding Biology to be quite interesting. He wondered if he would have to handle Green Eco in the same way he had handled Blue Eco in Physics. By the time the lab period arrived, Samos set some jars of Green Eco on the lab table in front of him.

"I'm sure you already went over Green Eco in your Physics class," he lectured, "But today, I want to see if you remember how to use it sparingly. On my desk are a few clusters of plants that are infected with Dark Eco. I would like you to split up into groups of two and heal these plants of their infections. I hope I don't have to remind you again to exercise caution when dealing with Dark Eco. Now, get to it! And Daxter, clean up the lab supplies when the period is over!"

All the students jumped out of their chairs and quickly found partners, including Ashelin pairing up with Tess. But soon, Jak saw Keira get up and approach him.

"Want to be my partner?" she asked, smiling.

"Yeah, sure," Jak replied, leading Keira over to the lab tables. Up ahead, he noticed the look Samos was giving him.

"You two be careful now, okay?" he advised them.

"Daddy…" Keira started, but then Samos nodded. His daughter was smart; she would be fine.

"Professor Hagai is your father?" the Wastelander whispered as he grabbed a jar of green eco and some infected plants.

"Yep," Keira answered, "I love him to death, but he can be…so…"

"Overprotective?" Jak finished for her. They both laughed.

"Yeah, you've got it. Let's get started with this lab." They both slipped on a pair of gloves, and Keira then reached for some supplies to scoop out the Green Eco from the jars. She and Jak decided to divide the plants up, and by the time Keira had begun healing her side, she noticed Jak draw some Green Eco out of the jar with only his hands.

"You're doing it again," she observed. Jak looked up.

"Doing what?" he asked.

"That thing where you can use Eco without any pain. How do you do that?"

Jak shrugged. "I've been using Eco like this since I was a kid," he replied, "I'm not sure exactly how it works. The Eco is just attracted to me somehow. Maybe my dad knows."

"Well, whatever it is, it's a real gift. Almost nobody can do that. Not even Daddy. And he's the Green Sage!"

"Is he always crabby like the way he was in lecture? Even at home?"

Keira giggled. "No, he's not. Just when something is bothering him. I guess Daxter is one of those things."

"They'll get used to Dax. I promise." For the rest of the lab period, Jak and Keira healed plant after plant, and were so good at it that they were the first ones finished. Samos approached them and applauded them.

"Well done, you two!" he complimented, "You obviously are aware of the beauty and usefulness of Green Eco. Top marks for both of you." He nodded and then walked over to everyone else, complimenting those who were nearly halfway finished and constructively criticizing those who were struggling a little bit. Nevertheless, he meant well, and always wanted his students to succeed.

When the class was over, Daxter joined up with Jak again after he finished cleaning the lab tables and commented, "I can tell old greenie and I are going to get along real well!"

"Bye, Keira! Tess! Ashelin!" Jak called, waving to them, "It was nice to meet you."

"Bye, Jak! We'll see you tomorrow!" they replied.

As promised Damas was there to pick up Jak and Daxter outside the school. "So, how was your first day, Jak?" Damas asked excitedly as they cruised through the streets.

"_Eventful_," Jak replied, "But also…not too bad. Some strange classes and a few less than welcoming people, but I met a few nice friends."

"And you didn't have any troubles with…you know…"

"No, I didn't. Don't worry, Dad," Jak assured him with a small smile, "This year will be great. Everything will be great."

* * *

I have to admit I loved writing this chapter! So much drama! lol. Anyway, chapter five will be posted soon!


	5. Party!

Hey guys! I'm finally updating this story after a long time. I was suffering from writer's block, so sorry if this chapter is not that good. It was all I could think of at the moment. So read and enjoy!

**DISCLAIMER: **Everything belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

Although the week passed by slowly, it still passed, with Jak and Daxter getting used to their new academic environment. Granted, they found some of their professors to be quite out there, but nevertheless, they were adjusting quite well to Haven City and the people in it. Torn, Tess, Keira, and Ashelin were always there to point the two of them in the right direction as well, giving them helpful pointers about some of the various assignments and classroom quirks. Rayn, while not exactly ignoring Jak and Daxter, still didn't make an effort to speak to them, which was fine with Jak. He should have known not everyone would warm up to him during the first week.

Erol, on the other hand, was a different story. Ever since he had threatened Jak and Daxter in the cafeteria on their first day at Haven High, he had taken every opportunity to try and scare them off from Torn and the others. "Well, _someone _has an attitude problem," Daxter whispered after Erol had shoved Jak into a locker on their third day, which the redhead claimed was his way of "welcoming new students". It wasn't that Jak was too weak to fight back; it was quite the opposite. He just wanted to avoid as much conflict as possible for his own reasons.

"I know," Jak agreed, "We haven't been here for too long and we already have an enemy. What's his problem?"

"I wouldn't worry about him," Daxter said, "We can take him on if he gets really bad!"

"Let's try not to get to that point, though."

By the time Friday rolled around, Torn caught up with the two of them as they were leaving school after Biology. "Jak! Daxter! Wait up!" he called after them. They turned around.

"Hey, Torn," Jak greeted breezily, "What's going on?"

"I forgot to ask you guys," the jock continued, "We're having a party tomorrow night at my apartment near the Bazaar. Do you two want to come?"

"Oh, boy, a party!" Daxter cheered, "You know I'll be there!" Jak rolled his eyes silently. _You would, Daxter, _he thought to himself.

"Jak?" Torn asked, turning to the Wastelander. At first, Jak seemed hesitant; he wasn't one to go to parties that much. And he was still trying to pick his way around Haven City. But something _else _was telling him it would be good to go and socialize with his new friends. So he slowly nodded his head.

"Great! I'll give you the address." Torn grabbed a pen and paper from his bag and quickly wrote it down.

"See you then!" He walked away to meet up with some of his other friends, and Jak and Daxter stared at the address written on the paper. "Woohoo!" the ottsel cried, pumping this fist, "This is going to be one hot party, huh?"

"Yeah," Jak told him, "I can't wait." The two of them began walking home.

* * *

_**The next night…**_

"So, Erol and Torn's party is tonight," Tess announced to Keira over the phone, "Are you gonna come?"

Keira sighed. "Umm…" she hemmed and hawed, not sure if she should take the liberty to go out this one night.

"Come on, Keira!" Tess tried to persuade her, "It'll be really fun."

"I'm not really into those parties. I always feel so awkward."

"Ash, Rayn, and I will be there to make it not awkward for you. How about that?"

"I don't know, Tess. Besides, my vehicle project is coming along really nicely."

"You can forget that for one night, you know. You only get to be a teenager once, right? And Jak and Daxter will be there, too. Torn told me."

At this interesting news, Keira perked up. "They are?" she asked.

"Yeah! Don't you want to check him out some more in a non-academic environment?" Tess giggled from her end of the line.

_Well, I guess it wouldn't be too bad to go for a while, _Keira thought, _And Jak is really interesting. _"But Erol's going to be there," she argued.

Tess sighed in exasperation. "Just forget about him!" she insisted, "The rest of your friends are going to be there, right? Erol will get over it."

Keira had to admit to herself that Tess was right. "Hold on. Let me ask Daddy first," she told her friend, carefully resting the receiver on her bed and trekking downstairs.

"Daddy?" she began, entering the kitchen and watching as her father repotted a few plants with Green Eco.

"Yes, Keira?" Samos asked, looking up from the table.

Keira cleared her throat. "Torn's having a party at his apartment, and all of my friends are going to be there. So, is it okay if I go with them? Just for a little while?"

Samos narrowed his eyes, started banging some of his Green Eco jars around, and muttered, "Is it one of those parties where you all will be acting like _hooligans_?"

Keira felt slightly offended at the word _hooligans. _"No!" she insisted, "It's not going to be like that at all. It's just a small get together with my friends."

"You know what happened last time I let you go to one of those gatherings."

"I know," Keira sighed, "But that won't happen again. I promise." She silently begged for her father to say yes and stop trying to dissuade her from enjoying life.

After five more minutes of considering his daughter's offer, Samos took a deep breath and decided, "All right, you can go. But _call me when you get there_!"

"I know, I know," Keira assured him, "Thank you so much!" She hugged him quickly and then went to break the good news to Tess. Samos watched her leave and then sighed sadly, unable to focus on the Green Eco or his plants. The leaves drooped downwards in response to their owner's dark mood.

* * *

The Bazaar was raging by the time Jak and Daxter arrived near Torn's apartment. They watched in fascination as the marketplace came to life in front of them, and all the flashing lights from the bars and cafés attracted their attention. "Wow," Daxter whispered, "This looks like my kind of place."

"Jak! Daxter!" they suddenly heard Torn shout to them from the lobby, "You made it! Just follow me." They followed Torn inside, up a fast-moving elevator, and finally into a rather large suite. Ashelin, Rayn, Erol, and three other guys Jak didn't know were already there, and they were already dancing to the loud music that was playing on the large stereo. A few of them had cans of beer in their hands. As soon as the door opened, they stopped dancing and stared at the trio.

"Jak and Daxter!" Ashelin slurred, already slightly tipsy from the beer, "You're here! Help yourself to some snacks and beer. Right over there!" She pointed with her finger and then sipped a little more of her drink.

"Woohoo!" Daxter cried, jumping down from Jak's shoulder and immediately dashing towards the keg in the middle of the room. Torn and Jak just stared at him as he gulped down most of the liquor in there.

"Damn," Torn whispered to the Wastelander, "Can he really hold his liquor?"

"Ahh, yeah," Jak whispered back, "He was always getting smashed at home." He shook his head, walked over to the keg, and pulled Daxter out from underneath it.

"Ya know, Torn," the ottsel slurred, already being more drunk than Ashelin, "This is a nice place you have here. You should decorate it with Metal head trophies!" Everyone laughed, and some people even whooped and cheered at Daxter's antics. While he immediately got situated and began talking to Ashelin and Rayn (the latter having forgotten about her grudge towards the ottsel for now), Torn led Jak over to the three rugged-looking guys in the corner. One of them removed a cigarette from his mouth a blew a cloud of smoke into Jak's face.

"Jak, this is Jinx, Mog, and Grim," Torn introduced one by one.

The boy with the cigarette, who Jak and Daxter assumed was Jinx, replied, "So _you're _Jakkie-boy, huh? I've heard so much about you already. It's nice to finally meet you."

Torn laughed and accepted the beer bottle Jinx had tossed him. "Ashelin!" he cried, downing a little bit of his drink and making his way over to her, where they proceeded to kiss, just like they had in the cafeteria a few days ago. Daxter whistled at the two of them, and Rayn moved away from them slightly. She was the only one that hadn't drunk any alcohol so far.

Suddenly, the door opened again, and Tess and Keira walked in. Everyone cheered again at the sight of Keira Hagai walking through the door. By way of greeting, Torn gave one beer can each to the two of them. "You got Keira to come out tonight, Tess!" he exclaimed, "Excellent. It's nice to see you here." From a secluded corner, Erol looked up and just stared at the large group.

"Hi," Keira heard a quieter voice greet, and she looked around and saw Jak standing by the punch bowl.

"Hey, everyone!" she greeted, moving to stand next to Jak, "I managed to get my dad to let me come here."

"Great!" Ashelin cried. Everyone began dancing to the music once again, and as Keira grabbed some chips, Jak went to stand next to her.

"So," he started, "You're not much of a partier either, huh?"

"Not really," Keira admitted, shaking her head, "Sometimes, this scene is so overwhelming. But I'm glad I came tonight." She smiled at Jak. "Where's Daxter?"

"Over there," the Wastelander answered, pointing to where Daxter, Tess, and Rayn were talking. Daxter was regaling the two women with some story on how he managed to save all of Spargus from a Metal Head attack. Tess seemed to really be getting into the story, because she was giving Daxter the appropriate reactions, such as gasping and cheering in the right places.

As the hours went on, Jak started to finally feel like he was part of the group. He was chatting with Keira, Torn, Ashelin, Tess, and Jinx with no problem, and of course, Daxter was more than at home. In fact, the only person who didn't seem to be enjoying himself was Erol. He stood in the same corner for hours and drank one can of beer after another. He stared at Keira and Jak all night and felt annoyed…no, make that _extremely _annoyed. Maybe it was because the focus was all on Jak and Daxter, or…

No. It was impossible.

Maybe Jak was right; maybe he _was _a little jealous. Maybe it was time to take some of the spotlight away from that little _freak_. So, downing another beer, Erol made his way over to the snack table. He cleared away the bowls and climbed on top of the table.

"Everyone!" he cried drunkenly at the top of his lungs. The music suddenly stopped and everyone turned to face him.

"I propose we play a game!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, "I call it, 'Your deepest, darkest secrets'! I say Jak should go first. Well go on, _Freak_. Tell us one of your deepest, darkest secrets!" Nobody said a word; Daxter stared at Jak worriedly, wondering what his friend would say.

Jak, meanwhile, remained frozen. He could think of plenty of deep, dark secrets, but he didn't want to share them with everyone in his first week of making friends. If they knew what he knew, they would run in fear. Or worse. "I'll pass," he declined, frowning at Erol. But Erol smirked at him with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

"No?" the redhead asked, "Then I'll go ahead." He turned towards Keira.

"Keira!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, waving his beer bottle in the air, and then collapsing in the middle of the floor, completely unconscious. Torn and Jinx immediately ran over to him and turned him over.

"Damn it, Erol!" Torn whispered under his breath, "Why did you have to chug down so much beer?"

"Let's get him home before the KG arrives," Jinx suggested, the two of them lifting Erol's body off of the floor. Jak pushed his way through the gasping crowd and just watched as his two friends hauled Erol out of the apartment.

"Does this happen a lot?" Daxter asked Ashelin, who was standing close by. She nodded silently. In the corner, Keira just stood with her back to everyone, and Jak went over to her and rested a hand on her shoulder.

"You okay?" he asked, "What was that all about?"

Keira shook her head. "It's nothing," she replied, "I should probably go now." And in a flash, after Torn and Jinx left with Erol, she sprinted out the door, causing Jak and Daxter to become even more confused than they already were.

* * *

Once again, sorry that this chapter was shorter than the others, but it was all I could think of at the moment. Don't forget to read and review!


	6. Pressure

I'm back with Chapter 6 of "Haven High School: Senior Year"! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far! I'm glad you enjoy the story! :) I have to admit I got a little carried away with some Jak 3 references in this chapter.

**DISCLAIMER: **Everything belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

The month following Torn and Erol's party was rather awkward. Erol, still clearly feeling humiliated after his drunken escapades, bullied Jak and Daxter even worse than ever, and Jak himself was feeling on edge now that his classes were becoming more demanding than ever. Torn, Ashelin, Tess, and Jinx still spoke to the two Wastelanders, but Keira, along with Rayn, distanced herself. Quite a few times, Jak and Daxter had tried to talk to her, but even in Biology, she didn't want to be Jak's partner, even though her father still used Daxter as his assistant.

Physics with Dr. Vin was no better, with Principal Veger sitting in on Jak's class every day now, especially if there was a double period. "I don't like him, Jak," Daxter whispered, "He's creepy."

"Q-quiet in the back!" Vin stammered as he moved on to projectile motion involving Blue Eco. Veger stole glances at Jak while he wrote something down on a pad. _He's trying to figure out how I can use Eco the way I do, _the Wastelander thought to himself.

"Blue Eco will be part of our lab today, so we'll be moving outside to the gardens. F-follow me!" Vin screamed as all the students leaped out of their seats and bolted for the door, since spending time outside was always a favorite pastime of everyone in Haven City. As Jak and Daxter passed by Veger, he rested a hand on Jak's shoulder. "Uhh, hey, Principal Vegan?" Daxter started, getting the name wrong on purpose, "Why is your hand on my friend's shoulder? I mean, who _knows _where it's been?"

Principal Veger fumed. "It's Veger!" he snapped, "And I see you shall be using Blue Eco again today, Jak. I look forward to your little show."

It was a short walk to the gardens, but the class was soon situated close to the gate leading to Haven Forest. "Now, class!" Vin tried shouting over everyone's excited chatter, "CLASS!" Everyone shut up.

"I used my technology from the Power Station in order to create these model rockets. They can only be powered by Blue Eco, so the objective of this lab will be to launch the rocket at the angle I tell you to launch it at to measure its distance over a period of time. Now, here are your lab partners." Everyone groaned, and nobody groaned louder than Jak and Daxter when they found out who their partner was.

"Hey there, _freaks_," Erol greeted, smirking, "Looks like we're lab partners."

"Yeah, we're jumping for joy right now," Jak replied before Daxter could get one of his usual snarky comments in. Erol shrugged and began setting up the rocket, which Vin informed them that they would be shooting it from a forty-five degree angle.

"So, Keira's not speaking to you, huh?" the redhead asked, laughing to himself.

"Shut up, Erol," Jak snapped, not looking at him.

"Yeah shut up, Mr. Tall, Red, and Drunk!" Daxter chimed in. Erol fumed.

"Why, you little…" he growled.

"Fire!" Vin cried, and just like on his first day at Haven High, Jak channeled the Blue Eco into his arm without any side effects. It was almost like the Blue Eco was giving his arm a mind of its own; time seemed to slow down around the blond Wastelander, and he rushed forward and ignited the rocket. With a squeal and a hiss, the rocket sailed into the air and away from the class. From the corner of his eyes, Jak noticed Veger staring in awe. The whole class went silent once it realized the rocket was never coming back, or landing even close to the patches of grass Vin had marked. But a faint explosion in the distance let them know that the rocket had met its end. "Well, there goes our lab grade," Erol hissed under his breath, causing Daxter to glare at him.

Principal Veger marched over to their group. "See what I mean, boy?" he shrieked, "Only someone like the old Blue Sage is supposed to use Eco like that, not some teenage boy and his _rat_!"

"I resent that," the ottsel muttered out of Veger's earshot.

"You mark my words, Jak," Veger murmured, "I _will _find out how you do that if it's the last thing _I _do as principal of this school! And when I find out, you'll answer to _me_!"

* * *

"Aww, cheer up, Jak," Daxter said soothingly while he and Jak walked to Gym, "So we have a crazy principal who's out to get us! What's the worst that could happen?"

"He could find out my secret, that's what," Jak answered sullenly, but brightened up as soon as Daxter made his next comment.

"At least our larger than life gym teacher won't be breathing down our necks the whole time!" the ottsel said, making Jak laugh.

"Thanks, Dax," he said, "You always know how to make me feel better." The two of them entered the gym, where Sig was waiting for everyone and calling attendance.

"You're late!" he barked at the two Wastelanders, "I'm going to have to mark you for this!"

"Sorry," Jak apologized, "It won't happen again." Erol laughed from where he sat, but instantly quieted down when Sig glared at him.

"Is everyone here, Sig?" Krew asked, flying into view with a bag of chips in his hand.

"Yes, sir!" Sig replied, "Actually, do you mind if I take over the class today? I have a great idea for these kids in order to keep them in better shape."

"Sure, mmm? Let's see what you've got." And with that, Sig laid out his plan to create an obstacle course that would teach the students the discipline they needed, especially if they wanted to join the Krimzon Guard or venture out into the dangerous Wasteland. At that last statement, Jak and Daxter grinned at each other appreciatively. Sig also mentioned that it would take the entire year, since said obstacle course would be their final. A few people groaned.

"A _final_?" Erol spat, "We're getting a final in Gym?"

"That's right, boy!" Sig snapped, "And if you don't like it, you can leave this class and take a zero right now!" Erol narrowed his eyes at Sig, but refused to argue; he did not want this class to be the reason why he didn't end up graduating at the end of the year.

"Good. Now, let's begin!"

And, like gym class always was, Sig, despite only being the teacher's assistant, did most of the work while Krew lounged around. He seemed to take pride in making the students work very hard to keep up with Sig while he didn't do anything.

This class proved to be a disaster; Erol was once again trying to pick on Jak. At one point, he shoved the blond Wastelander to the floor, which caused the latter to feel the crackling sensation again. "Jak?" Daxter asked worriedly.

"I'm okay," Jak insisted, even though he felt like his skin was boiling, "Don't worry about me."

"You okay there, freak?" Erol asked with mock concern, "You're looking a little purple there." He laughed.

_Shit! _Jak thought, _No, no, no! Not here! Oh, Mar, not here! Okay, Jak. Calm down! _Jak squeezed his eyes shut tight and willed his anger to go away while Daxter looked on in concern. "Jak?" the ottsel repeated, "Maybe you should go to the nurse."

"Yeah, Jak," Erol jumped in, "Maybe you should so we can all be cured of your sickness."

"All right, that's it!" Daxter snapped, "You asked for it!" And with that, he leaped off of Jak's shoulder and dove for the redhead.

"Dax, no!" Jak shouted, but it was too late; Daxter was already tearing some of Erol's hair out and scratching his face. To himself, Jak had been thinking of doing the same thing, but the ottsel beat him to it.

"Sig! Professor Krew!" Erol yelled. Both teachers approached the three boys in order to break up the fight while the rest of the class looked on in shock. It took a little effort, but Sig finally managed to yank Daxter away from Erol while Krew yanked the taller boy off of the floor.

"Now that's enough, eh?" Krew growled, "You two to the principal's office! Now!" He pointed at Jak and Daxter.

"But Professor Krew!" Jak tried to argue, but Sig cut him off.

"You heard the man! Go! Rayn, take Erol to the nurse." And glaring at Erol with intense hatred, Jak and Daxter walked towards Principal Veger's office, with the crackling returning inside Jak's body.

News traveled fast around Haven High and Haven City, it seemed; when Jak and Daxter arrived at Principal Veger's office, Damas was already there waiting for them. "Jak! Daxter!" he cried in surprise, "What's going on?"

"It seems your son has been getting into fights with Erol, Mr. Damas," Principal Veger replied, gesturing for them to sit down at the desk, "There was an incident in gym this morning. Now, what happened?"

Jak and Daxter told both men how Erol had been egging them on since the beginning of the period, and how both of them had finally reached a boiling point that caused Daxter to go for the redhead.

"You will be suspended indefinitely until we can think of a solution," Principal Veger decided, but just as he was getting ready to write it down, Damas stopped him.

"Now wait just a minute!" he quipped, "If Jak and Daxter didn't start it, why punish them so harshly?"

"That little rat physically attacked another student. Do you know how dangerous that is to the school?"

"Because Erol verbally attacked them first. You can punish both sides, just not like that."

"Excuse me, _Damas_," Veger sneered, "This is _my _school. _I _make the rules!"

Suddenly, Damas stood up in all his intimidating Wasteland glory. "Suspending my son indefinitely is not going to solve anything!" he snapped, "But I can see you favor certain students above others."

Veger snickered. "I see that Wasteland sun has gotten to your head a little bit," he said, "Don't worry, I'll think of a good punishment for your son." He winked at Jak, which caused the teenager to fume.

"Go back to class, boy," Veger ordered, "And Damas, work on your attitude a little bit." All three Wastelanders glared at the principal as they left.

Once they were in a safe place to talk, Damas rounded on his son. "Jak," he started in a disappointed tone, but Jak cut him off.

"I know what you're going to say, Dad," he piped up, "And I'm sorry. But Erol was really getting on our nerves."

"You've always been quite rash, even back in Spargus. Haven't I always told you to pick your battles wisely?"

"Yes."

"I appreciate that you were willing to stand up for yourselves, but there is a time and place to do so. Do you understand?" Both boys looked down at the ground and nodded.

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ground you for this. We'll talk more at home, okay?"

"Okay. Bye, Dad."

"Bye, Damas!" Daxter added, and both of them sighed as Damas walked out of the high school.


	7. Rumors and Plans

I'm back with Chapter Seven! You know the drill: enjoy, read, and don't forget to review! :)

**DISCLAIMER: **Everything belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

"Did you hear about third period Gym?"

"I heard he pummeled Erol's face into a bloody pulp!"

"That's not what happened! I heard he broke a few of Erol's ribs!"

The rumors of what happened in Jak's third period Gym class spread like wildfire through Haven High, and none of them even came close to the truth. Jak kept his head down whenever he and Daxter walked through the hallways to their next class. He couldn't believe his worst nightmare had almost come true; thank the Precursors it hadn't!

"Just take a few deep breaths, Jak," the ottsel on his shoulder whispered.

"Hi, boys!" Tess's familiar voice greeted, and the two boys were relieved at the sight of a friendly face, "I heard about what happened in Gym today. It was about time someone tried to put Erol in his place! He can be so full of himself sometimes!"

"I thought you were really good friends with him," Jak replied, confused.

"I am," the blonde girl said, "But he can be so arrogant sometimes. We've told him to cool it plenty of times, but he never likes to listen."

"Well, babe," Daxter agreed, "He's messing with the wrong people!" Tess laughed.

"You guys sure know how to brighten my day," she giggled, "See you around!" And with a friendly wave, she continued to walk down the hallway until she made a right turn up ahead. Daxter stared after her until Jak playfully tapped him on his shoulder.

"_Attention all students_!" a robotic, female voice announced over the PA, "_Anyone interested in participating in this year's tri-city racing competition again Spargus City and Kras City must sign up with the racing team in between third period and seventh period. Everyone is welcome to join._"

Jak and Daxter grinned at each other, forgetting about their fight with Erol in Gym this morning. As soon as the announcement mentioned racing, they felt excited. Racing in the Wasteland was a favorite pastime of theirs, and they were anxious to see what racing in Haven City was like. "Why don't we go for it?" Jak suggested, "I'd say we can hold our own on a race track."

"You've got it, buddy!" Daxter agreed, and they began walking towards the place to sign up with the racing team. Along the way, they bumped into Ashelin and Keira, who were enjoying their free period. They both looked up at the two Wastelanders and gasped, remaining where they were.

"Hello, ladies!" Daxter greeted, smoothing his fur back and grinning, "Lovely weather this morning, huh?" Jak could tell that Daxter was trying to lighten the awkward mood a little bit, because as soon as Jak and Keira met each other's eyes, they both looked away.

"Fabulous," Ashelin piped up, "So, did you guys hear the announcement about the tri-city race this year?"

"Sure did!" the ottsel piped up, "And we're going to sign up right now! Jak and I were the kings of the race track at home!"

"Then you shouldn't have any problems here!" Then, Ashelin lowered her voice to a whisper.

"Torn and Erol are part of the racing team, too," she said, making Jak and Daxter raise their eyebrows skeptically.

"Perfect," Jak grumbled, "Let's sign up anyway! Just to see what it's like."

"I know Erol was a little out of line this morning, but don't let him get to you."

"Honey, he's the least of our worries!" Daxter insisted. Ashelin chuckled, and then noticing how Keira was surreptitiously looking at Jak, she decided to give them some alone time to talk.

"Well, I'm going to go find Torn now," she announced, "See you guys later!" She waved cheerily and walked away, leaving Keira with Jak and Daxter. At first, neither one of them spoke, but the Jak decided to break the silence after Daxter tactfully decided to check out the yakkow pens not too far from the garden that overlooked the area near Haven Forest.

"So…" Jak started quietly, "How have you been? We haven't seen you in a while."

Keira sighed. "Oh, you know," she replied, "All these classes are starting to give me a headache." She laughed a little bit.

"Listen," she continued, "I'm really sorry for how I've been acting for the last month. It's just that party kind of made me feel awkward and I didn't want to ruin our friendship."

"You didn't," Jak insisted, "Trust me, everything's fine." He took a deep breath. "So, do you want to be my partner in Biology again?"

Keira lifted her gaze until her green eyes met Jak's blue eyes. A small smile formed on her lips as she nodded timidly. "Sure," she replied, "See you at lunch?"

"Yeah. See you." Keira walked away to meet up with Ashelin. Daxter, who had been secretly watching them the whole time, reappeared by his friend's side, whistling wolfishly as he climbed back up onto the Wastelander's shoulder.

"Daxter," Jak started before the ottsel could open his mouth, "Don't even say it."

"No comment, buddy," Daxter replied slyly, "No comment at all. Now, let's go find that racing team." They continued to walk towards the room where the racing team was located, and as soon as they walked into the room, Erol, Rayn, Torn, and Ashelin were already there, and Erol looked pretty bad. Scratch marks inflicted by Daxter were still crisscrossing his face, and a few bandages were placed on his cheeks and arms. When Erol looked up from talking quietly to Rayn, he glared at the two Wastelanders.

"What the hell are you two doing here?" he snapped, pointing at the door, "Out!"

"We're here to sign up for the tri-city racing championship," Jak explained, looking at Torn.

"Really?" Torn asked, pushing the sign-up sheet towards them, "Have you guys ever raced before?"

"All the time back at home," Jak answered, grinning. He was just moving forward to put his and Daxter's names down when a hand suddenly slammed onto the table, making Rayn and Ashelin jump.

"No!" Erol shouted, glaring at Jak, "I won't allow it!"

"Oh, yeah?" Daxter challenged, "Who says?"

Erol pointed at himself and announced proudly, "The captain of the racing team, which would be me."

"_You_?" Jak and Daxter gasped in unison.

"Yep. And you're not allowed to sign up."

"Erol!" Torn jumped in, "I'm the co-captain of this team, and I say you can't do that."

"Well, Torn, I'm overruling you! Do you know what this freak and his _pet _did to me this morning?" He pointed to the scratch marks.

"Umm, Erol?" Rayn suddenly spoke up, "No offense, but you started it."

"Shut up, Rayn!" the redhead snapped, causing Rayn to frown and leap up from her seat.

"Fine, be that way!" she hissed, "You've just lost your mind lately!" And she turned on her heels and marched out of the room.

"Nice going, Erol," Ashelin snarled.

"What? You don't think these two Wastelanders are dangerous?" At this, Jak and Daxter glanced at each other; Daxter was well aware of just how dangerous Jak could get, but he knew his friend would never show it. If he could help it.

"No," Ashelin said, placing her hands on her hips.

"The point is," Erol continued as if she hadn't said anything, "I don't like you two, and I'm not letting you sign up for this! That's it! Goodbye!" He slammed his pen down, grabbed his bag, and stormed out of the room in a similar fashion to Rayn. Ashelin, Torn, Jak, and Daxter just stared after him and shook their heads.

"Here, Jak," Torn spoke up, pushing the sign-up sheet towards the Wastelander, "I don't care what Erol says. The announcement said everyone was welcome. I'll get you onto the team. Just don't mention it to Erol."

"He needs to take a chill pill or something!" Daxter replied while Jak signed up.

"Thanks, Torn," he thanked the auburn-haired boy, "We really appreciate you doing this for us."

* * *

Later that day, Jak, Daxter, and Torn walked into the cafeteria, and as soon as they arrived, all eyes were on them. From the lunch counter, Kleiver leaned in and whispered, "I heard about you breaking that kid's ribs this morning, newbies. More roughhousing like that and you'll be tossed out onto the streets."

Jak rolled his eyes and ignored the larger man as they went to sit down with the usual crowd, except something was different at the table. "Where's Erol?" Daxter asked.

"Sitting over there with Jinx, Mog, and Grim," Tess answered, pointing to their table. Both of them breathed a subtle sigh of relief.

"So, Torn told us you guys signed up for the racing team," Keira announced, "I'm a mechanic for them, you know." She smiled.

"Really?" Jak asked, impressed, "Do you just fix Zoomers or have you built some of your own?"

"I've got a secret vehicle project going on at home right now." She winked.

"She said she's not going to tell us what it is until she's finished," Ashelin quipped.

"That's why it's a secret, Ash," Keira teased. Everyone laughed.

"So, Rayn," Jak began again, addressing Krew's daughter, "I wanted to thank you for helping us try to calm Erol down a little bit."

Rayn shook her head and waved her hand. "It was nothing," was all she said, and Jak figured she was not the type to open up about why she did certain things right away.

Meanwhile, at Erol and Jinx's table, the redhead was fuming over the fact that Jak and Daxter were just randomly showing up at Haven High and stealing _his _friends away from him. That _freak _would pay for this. Big time. "So, boys," he started maliciously, "What do you say we jump the Eco Freak after school today?"

Jinx gasped and then shook his head. "No way, man," he declined immediately, "Jak's my friend. Plus, I've got a secret meeting with that girl, Rayn, after school. Actually, I'd better go confirm that meeting with her now." He smirked, and Erol frowned in disgust as he got up and left their table.

"Mog? Grim?" he pressed, looking at the two dim-wits that Jinx, for some inexplicable reason, hung out with.

"Sure," Grim replied.

"After that," Mog piped up, "Can we go home? I don't want the KG to catch me."

Erol sighed and rolled his eyes. "Trust me," he insisted, "We'll be out of there before you can say Baron Praxis. Jak won't even know what hit him!"


	8. Surprise!

Here's Chapter Eight of "Haven High School: Senior Year"! Don't forget to read and review! :)

**DISCLAIMER: **Everything belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

"Hurry, now! Keep up with me!" Samos cried as he led his class out of Haven Forest, "We've got to return to the lab as quickly as possible!"

The class had just finished exploring all sorts of exotic plants in Haven Forest, with Keira and Jak being partners just like in the beginning of the year. Daxter, like always, was Samos's assistant.

"So," Keira began, "What did you think of that lesson today?"

"_Boring_!" Daxter piped up, wiping some Green Eco off of himself, "Helping old greenie every lab period is grinding my gears!"

"It was interesting," Jak replied, talking over Daxter.

"Don't mind Daddy's crazy lectures, though," she whispered, "He does that all the time."

"Really?" Daxter asked sarcastically, "I haven't noticed." Jak and Keira rolled their eyes and laughed behind their hands, with Jak thinking about how Keira had somehow managed to brighten his day after all the drama of that morning. She was easy to talk to, and maybe just a little bit good-looking as well. Daxter saw how he was looking at her just after knowing her for a month and giggled to himself.

Once the lab was finished, Jak walked with Keira to the front door of the classroom. "So, I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked hopefully.

"Tomorrow," Keira replied with a hint of a smile on her face. Jak allowed himself a smile as well, and once they were out of her earshot, the ottsel began teasing him about Biology lab while they walked through the Bazaar, the Industrial Zone, and finally arrived at the slums. Just as they were passing through some of the more rundown areas of Haven City, rapid footsteps echoed against the walls, and three taller men blocked their way.

"Hello, _freak_!" Erol greeted, grinning wickedly at the duo. Next to him were Mog and Grim, who Jak and Daxter recognized from Torn's party.

"Move it, ya crazy loon!" Daxter snapped, "We're trying to get home!" They started to walk forward, but the three of them blocked their path again.

"You'll have to go through _us _first," Erol said smugly, and in that instant, Jak caught the smell of alcohol on his breath.

"You're drunk!" he muttered under his breath.

"Listen here!" Grim spoke up, reaching to grab Daxter by his throat, "You've messed with our boy Erol for far too long. And now, you're going to pay for it."

"What are you talking about?" Jak growled, feeling a sudden headache form in his head, "We didn't do anything! And you better let Daxter go or else-"

"Or else _what_? You'll sic your little rodent on him again? Not today!" With a growl, both Erol and Grim leaped for Jak and Daxter and knocked them to the ground. Mog stayed out of the way, looking around to make sure the Krimzon Guard wasn't patrolling the streets.

"Run, Daxter!" Jak shouted as Erol pinned him to the ground and began to punch him across the face. Jak gritted his teeth, trying to keep himself from getting too angry, but as he fought back against the two boys that were punching and kicking him, he found he could not control himself. The whole time, both Erol and Grim looked at him with psychotic expressions on their faces, and he strained his long ears enough that he caught Erol mumbling how Jak had stolen his friends from him. _What is this guy's problem? _He thought while he threw some punches and kicks of his own.

"Jak!" Daxter cried from his right, "Help!" Jak turned his head and saw Erol grab the ottsel by his throat and begin to choke him. Grim stopped the Wastelander from reaching his friend by tackling him to the ground again. But as the fact that Daxter was in peril registered in Jak's mind, he suddenly snapped. Nothing else mattered as he let his anger take over completely. His skin boiled and crackled as he growled again and leaped up from the ground.

"LEAVE…HIM…ALONE!" he roared, watching as his skin turned a pale purple, horns sprouted from his head, and his nails extended into long, black claws. Nothing else mattered, except for his strong desire to kill. He sprinted forward and knocked Erol to the ground with his brute force. The redhead looked up and screamed as he got a good, long glimpse at Dark Jak. _Go on, kill him, _Dark Jak's thoughts screamed at him, _He's given you hell this last month. Just kill him. If you don't, I will. _

Jak slashed at the redhead with all the anger he could muster, and Daxter was soon free, running to the edge and watching his friend with a mix of both fear and awe. "Jak, stop!" he pleaded as Erol's blood began to flow into the streets. But Jak couldn't stop; Dark Jak wouldn't let him. _You're nearly there, _the dark demon purred, _Just a few more slashes and he's down for the count. _

"Grim!" Mog shouted, petrified, "The KG is coming! We've got to get out of here!"

But Grim hadn't moved; he, too, was in shock over this side of Jak. After Jak had begun tearing through Erol's flesh, he didn't want to go anywhere near him. Instead, while Daxter leaped onto Jak's shoulder and tried to coerce him into stopping his actions, Grim pulled Erol away from the fray. Jak, still in his dark state, snarled at him, smirking as he cowered in fear. From his left, a whole squadron of Krimzon Guards sprinted over to the bloody scene, but stayed back a little bit upon seeing Dark Jak.

"What's happened here?" one of the guards demanded. Nobody said anything as Jak felt himself revert back to normal. Suddenly, Erol groaned, and the guards sprinted over to him immediately.

"Take him to the hospital," one of them ordered, "And take _this _one-" He pointed to Jak, "Over to the Fortress for questioning." Jak sighed as he felt the guards handcuff his hands behind his back. Daxter didn't say a word, but as they approached the large Hellcat cruiser, Jak looked up at the rooftops and could have sworn that he saw a woman and a bird watching him from afar.

Twenty minutes later, Jak and Daxter arrived at the Fortress and the guards placed him in a waiting chair outside of a formal-looking office. "Wait here," they ordered, "Baron Praxis will be out in a moment to question you. We've contacted your father, and he is on his way now." Jak only sighed, and this was enough of a response to drive the guards away.

"Jak…" Daxter piped up, "It's not your fault. They attacked us first. You know that, right, buddy?"

"It doesn't matter," Jak replied, closing his eyes and leaning his head back on the wall, "This is exactly what I didn't want to happen." He sighed angrily again as Damas entered the waiting room. He wore a neutral expression on his face, so it was hard to tell what he was thinking.

Suddenly, the door flew open in front of them. "Come in!" an authoritative voice barked, and the three of them entered the room, where a rather large man with metal covering his right eye sat behind a desk. He narrowed his eyes at Jak as all three of them sat down.

"I am Baron Praxis," he introduced, "Ruler of Haven City and main chief of the Krimzon Guard. I've made a few phone calls to the hospital, and you're very lucky; that young man you scratched up will recover." Jak wanted to sigh in relief, but he didn't have the time to.

"What was that…that _thing_ you changed into?" Praxis demanded, "The other boys were hysterical when the Krimzon Guard found you." Jak and Daxter looked down at the ground, refusing to answer. Damas, however, spoke up.

"It's a…family secret," he replied, which angered Praxis.

"Well, that _family secret _almost killed a teenage boy today, so you all better start explaining yourselves!"

"I really don't think that's necessary," Damas spoke up, "It won't happen again. I promise."

"We're still going to punish him severely. You boys are going to be here for a long time while he negotiate with your father."

* * *

"So, sugar," Jinx said to Rayn as they both sat up in her bed, "How about we catch a movie tonight in the Bazaar?"

Rayn sighed as she kissed Jinx's forehead. "I told you, I can't," she murmured, "I'm supposed to be studying with Tess tonight."

"Oh, really?" Jinx teased, pressing his lips to Rayn's again, "How about you and I have another secret meeting tonight?"

Rayn pushed him off of her playfully. "Stop it," she teased just as her cell phone rang. She grabbed it and flipped it open. "Hello?" she greeted, the smile on her face disappearing every second.

"What?" she asked, "What are you talking about? Okay, okay, slow down. We'll be there." She hung up the phone and felt Jinx's hands snake around her waist again.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"It's Erol. He's in the hospital, apparently."

"_What_? What happened?"

"Apparently, Jak attacked him. We've got to get over there now! He said the rest of the gang was there already."

"Let's go!" The two of them hurriedly dressed, tiptoed around a sleeping Krew in the living room, and dashed out the door towards the hospital. When they arrived there, they saw Torn, Ashelin, Tess, and Keira all surrounding Erol's bed.

"What happened?" Rayn demanded.

"J-Jak attacked me," Erol choked from his bed, "He…he changed into something really weird. I told you he was no good."

"What was it? Some kind of monster?"

"Yeah. It was really bad."

And in that moment, another familiar figure entered the door, and everyone turned to see Jak and Daxter standing there, after the two of them had spoken to the Krimzon Guard. He was there, shining in all his dark glory, and everyone's faces went pale. Erol cowered from his bed, and Mog and Grim were nowhere to be found.

As Jak reverted back to normal after feeling his anger dissipate, he swept his nervous gaze over all of them, especially Keira. Apparently, they now knew his secret, something he didn't want them to know right away. _Secret's out, Jak, _Dark Jak taunted him from deep within his mind. He involuntarily flicked his gaze to Keira, wondering what she thought of all this, but she only continued to stare with an icy gaze in her eyes, making the awkward situation even more uncomfortable.


	9. A Hero's Tale

Wow, thanks for the reviews, you guys! I'm glad you're enjoying my story! :) This next chapter explains some things a little bit. Because this is AU, I had to change some things around a little bit to fit with the story. You'll see what I mean when you read it. I know how things really happen in canon, but anyway, read, review, and enjoy!

**DISCLAIMER: **Everything belongs to Naughty Dog

_Italics- _Flashbacks

* * *

"A Dark Eco Freak?" Principal Veger shouted to Baron Praxis when he met up with the beefy man later on in the day, "I let someone infected with that disgusting thing into my school?"

"It's really something, isn't it?" Praxis replied dryly.

"If I had known that darkness was going to enter my school of light, I would have turned him away on the first day."

"We don't even know why he and his family moved here in the first place."

"I don't know," Veger fumed, "But I'm going to find out. The boy can already somehow channel Eco. I know what I have to do, and I've got the perfect plan to do it."

"Whatever you plan to do," Praxis cut in, "Since I am the ruler of Haven City, you'd better include me in it, too."

Veger noticeably faltered before replying, "Of course, my dear Baron."

* * *

_**Three weeks later…**_

"Well, this doesn't suck," Daxter commented sadly as he and Jak stayed home for the third week in a row. As soon as Veger had found out about what happened, he had suspended the boys from school. Damas was disappointed, but there was nothing he could do about it, except wait for the suspension to be over.

"I know," Jak sighed, "And I'm sorry. You shouldn't have to suffer because of me."

"Believe me, buddy, I'd rather be here than at school right now. You shouldn't have to go through this alone." Jak closed his eyes and sighed again, thinking about how none of his friends had contacted him over the last three weeks. He imagined how shocked they must have been over his secret. No doubt the rest of Haven High knew by now as well; Veger would make sure everyone knew. It was just like he feared it would be; as soon as people found out about Dark Jak, they would give him a wide berth. And it seemed like that was exactly what they were doing.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door, and Daxter jumped down from Jak's shoulder and went to answer it, piling up chairs as he did so. There was silence before Daxter finally scurried back into the room with an unfamiliar guest in tow. Jak recognized the guest as the woman and bird that had been watching him as he was being taken to the Fortress. Before Daxter could get anymore words in, the woman began moving her hands and creating blue smoke while the bird spoke.

"I know you," Jak spoke up, "I saw you watching me after the fight from before."

"Yes, that's right," the bird replied, "I am Pecker, and this is Onin. I'm her interpreter. Onin says that she has been waiting for this moment for a long time."

"But we just moved here a few months ago," Jak argued.

"A few months ago, a whole lifetime," Pecker said, "It's all the same. Onin says that she has never seen a power like yours before, Jak." Jak and Daxter balked.

"Hey!" Daxter snapped, "How do you know who we are?" But Pecker only winked, causing the ottsel to fume.

"Onin says that trouble is brewing just outside the city walls," the bird continued, ignoring Daxter, "She is warning you not to let your anger take over, Jak."

"What kind of trouble?" Jak asked.

"Only time will tell."

"No!" Daxter snarled, "You should tell us right now. You can't just waltz in here, drop some voodoo crap on us, and then leave!"

"For your information, _rat boy_, I am just passing on Onin's message, so there!" He leaned in close to Daxter. "Maybe it's not Jak we need to worry about."

"You take that back right now!" the ottsel replied, leaning in to Pecker just as closely. Suddenly, Onin clapped her hands furiously, and everyone turned to stare at her. Pecker frowned.

"Onin says we should not be arguing over this," he translated, "Take care, Jak." And in a flash (literally), the two of them were gone, leaving Jak and Daxter more confused than they already were.

"What was that all about?" Jak asked, "How did she know who we were? We've never met before."

"You heard that rat with wings," the ottsel replied, suddenly making a face and imitating Pecker, "_It's all the same_." He made a gagging motion, and even though Jak knew it was not supposed to be funny, he still chuckled a little bit anyway.

Ten minutes later, someone else knocked on the door. "If it's that crazy interpreter again," Daxter started, but didn't finish, for standing at the door was Keira.

"Keira!" Jak gasped, surprised; neither she nor her group of friends had spoken to him since they discovered Dark Jak, so what what she doing here?

"Hi, Jak," she began sheepishly, "Can I come in?"

"Sure," the Wastelander replied, opening the door a little wider and letting Keira step into the living room. She looked around the house briefly before turning back to Jak. He noticed she seemed to walk on eggshells around him, which he expected. She didn't have to tell him twice that she was afraid of him.

"So," she began cautiously, not looking at him, "What's going on?"

Jak sighed. "I've been suspended for three weeks," he explained, "What is everyone at school saying?"

"Everyone's talking about what you…well, you know…"

"What I change into?" Keira nodded.

"Principal Veger is especially flipping out," she told him, "He's even starting a campaign to get you kicked out of the school."

"You're kidding, right?" Daxter suddenly piped up.

"No. He's never been subtle about expressing his hatred for Dark Eco." She motioned towards the couch, where all of them sat.

"I wanted to ask," she continued, "How do you do that, anyway?"

"That's all you came here for, isn't it?" Daxter asked, but Jak shushed him.

Keira looked scandalized for a minute. "No, of course not!" she insisted, "I'm also here to try to help stop Veger from expelling you!"

"You're not freaked out that I almost killed Erol?" Jak asked. Keira's face paled, and that was enough of an answer. He didn't want her to be afraid, but he couldn't stop her from feeling what she felt, either.

"It's okay, Keira," the blond teenager huffed, "You can tell me if you're afraid." Keira gulped.

"Well, not really afraid," she mumbled, "Just…intimidated. That's all. And curious, too. First, you channel both Blue and Green Eco in ways that none of us have seen before, and then you change into something dark. How do you do all that?"

Jak took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Are you sure you want to hear the whole story?" he asked. Keira nodded.

"Yes," was all she said. And so, with Keira and Daxter as his audience, Jak told his story behind his mysterious abilities.

* * *

_Jak wasn't sure how he was able to do it, but it had been a natural gift since birth. As far as he was concerned, nobody else in his family could channel Eco, not even his father, Damas. Sadly, his mother had passed away during childbirth, so maybe he got that gift from her. _

_The tender age of two was when Jak had first discovered his abilities. He had been playing in the Palace gardens in his hometown of Spargus City when he heard something crying. He couldn't speak too many words yet, but he knew something was wrong. Abandoning his toys, he got up from the ground and waddled over to the trees, where ripe apples were starting to grow. In one of the trees was a baby rodent. An ottsel, from the looks of it. And he looked like he was in bad shape. The ottsel cried out in pain, and in horror, Jak noticed a gash that stretched right across his stomach. Dark Eco was oozing out of the wound, even though Jak was too young to understand all the different types of Eco. That didn't matter to the child, though; he gently lifted the crying ottsel out of the tree and brought him into the Palace. _

_It almost wasn't even a thought. He wasn't sure how he was doing it, but he was immediately reaching for a supply of Green Eco he had seen his father store in the kitchen, and he watched in amazement as it attracted itself to him. The Green Eco glowed around his hand, and there was no pain whatsoever. Jak used the amount of this healing substance he had channeled into himself in order to heal the gash across the ottsel's stomach. He watched as the Green Eco performed its magic and wiped out the Dark Eco, leaving a scar in its place. The ottsel still cried in pain, but his cries reduced to silent tears as he looked up at the kind boy who had saved him. _

_"T-thank you," he squeaked. Suddenly, the doors to the kitchen opened, and a few monks ran through the door, Damas in tow, taking the scene in front of them: Green Eco spilled all over the floor, the rodent in pain, and Jak silently healing him. _

_"What are you doing, Jak?" his father, Damas, asked gently. The two year old grabbed the ottsel and held him up, showing the wound that he had healed. The adults gasped. _

_"You…you healed this animal on your own?" Damas gasped, realizing, for the first time, his son's eco-channeling abilities. Jak nodded silently. _

_"Sire," one of the monks spoke up, "Do you know what this means?" _

_Damas turned to face the monk who had spoken up. "Yes, Seem," he answered, "This means…that he's inherited a little bit of his mother as well. He has extraordinary powers. And I want to help him develop them for later in life." _

_"Go easy on him, though. He's only a toddler." _

_"I would never put him in peril. You know that." And with that, Damas picked his son up off the floor as Seem carried the ottsel away to release him back into the wild. Jak didn't see the rodent again until years later, when he could finally talk. _

_As he grew up, Jak discovered his powers, and under Damas's tutelage, he learned to control how much Eco he took in at a time. He also learned about the different types of Eco: Blue, Red, Green, and Yellow. Those were the only ones he used, despite coming in contact with Dark Eco when he was two years old. By the time he was ten, he had mastered all the Ecos except for Dark and Light, and he wondered if he would ever come in contact with those. _

_"Dad?" he asked one day, "Why can't you channel Eco?" _

_Damas put his arm around his son and replied, "Well, my son, it has to be inherited. Unfortunately, my family didn't have this special ability, but your mother…she was an amazing woman." _

_"Is it bad that I don't remember her at all?" _

_"No! Of course not. You've heard the stories about her and what she did in her youth. And now, she's passed her gift on to you. Use it well." With that, Damas gave his son a small hug and walked away, leaving Jak in the gardens once again. A rustling in the bushes caught the ten-year-old's attention, and he cautiously approached them. As he pushed a few of the leaves out of his way, a flash of orange caught his attention. _

_"AHHHH!" a voice screamed at the top of its lungs, and Jak leaped backwards as an ottsel flew out of the bushes and landed on the concrete squares face-down. Jak froze for a minute and thought about how familiar this ottsel looked. While the rodent picked himself up again, Jak noticed the scar across his stomach. _

_"Hey," he began, "You're the ottsel I saved years ago!" _

_"Yep!" the ottsel replied cheerfully, "That's me! Orange Lightning is back after eight years! You didn't think that nasty desert was going to keep me from thanking you, did it?" He burst out laughing at the stunned look on Jak's face. _

_"No," he replied, "What's your name?" _

_The ottsel bowed slightly as he replied, "My name's Daxter. And I wanted to thank you again for saving my life!" _

_At first, Jak didn't know what to say. He wanted to know how Daxter managed to find his way back to Spargus after Seem had returned him to the desert. "It was nothing," he replied, "So, how did you find your way back?" _

_"It wasn't easy, but I managed!" He then launched into a rather exaggerated explanation of how he avoided death by Marauders as he crawled his way through the sand storms. Jak liked how easy it was to talk to Daxter, and he thought he would make a good friend around the Palace. _

_"Seems like we were meant to be friends," Jak quipped, "How would you like to stay with us? In the Palace?" _

_"Woohoo!" the ottsel cheered, "I'd love to! Thank you, Jak!" And sure enough, Daxter made himself quite comfortable in the Palace, never forgetting the nice deed Jak had done for him all those years ago and waiting for the perfect opportunity to do something nice for him. _

_For the next six years, Jak and Daxter often had adventures together around Spargus City and in the Wasteland, taking up racing as a pastime against the Marauders, as well as others around the city. They had developed a bit of a reckless streak as well, often getting into trouble with Damas and some of the monks. One day, while they were racing against some of the Marauders, a few of them shouted, "Retreat! Retreat! Back to the city!" _

_"What's going on?" Jak shouted. _

_"The Metal Heads are coming!" And that was enough of an answer. _

_"Jak, we'd better get out of here!" Daxter shouted, and Jak floored it, spinning the car around and speeding back towards the city gate. The sand kicked up around them as a horde of Wasteland Metal Heads stampeded towards the city. They hurled Dark Eco bombs at anyone that got in their way, and luckily, Jak and Daxter managed to avoid all of them. They were almost back to the city when it happened. _

_A Dark Eco bomb crashed onto their car, sending them tumbling into the air and crashing into the sand. Purple and black smoke clouded the area, making both boys panic as they couldn't find each other. "Jak!" Daxter shouted, "Jak! Are you okay?" _

_Jak didn't respond. "Jak?" the ottsel asked again, cautiously walking through the smoke. When it cleared a little bit, a sad sight greeted him. "Jak!" he cried for a fourth time upon noticing his best friend lying unconscious in a pool of Dark Eco. _

_"Oh, no," he muttered, tears forming in his eyes, "No no no! Jak!" He tried shaking his friend awake, but nothing happened, and he feared the worst. A stomping in the distance made the ottsel's ears prick up, and when he looked up, he saw another, more massive Metal Head with yellow eyes and a skull gem in the middle of his forehead. _

_"Jak!" he pleaded, "Please! Get up!" Groaning greeted him in response, and to his relief, he saw his friend open his eyes and slowly sit up, although something was immediately off about him. In that moment, something happened that neither Jak nor Daxter would ever forget: Jak channeled the Dark Eco and soon turned a pale purple color, grew horns and claws, and emitted sparks of the dangerous substance from his skin. _

_"AHHHHHHHH!" Jak cried at the top of his lungs, the transformation having been painful, as he glared at the large Metal Head, daring it to attack. To both his and Daxter's surprise, the large creature only smirked and then turned to walk away, but both of them were sure he would be back after what he had witnessed. _

_In Daxter's eyes, Jak was never the same after that. Damas had taken extra precautions around the Palace, just in case his son snapped one day. Jak still joked around with his friends like in the past, but he was less-even tempered and often suffered from headaches. He was also more prone to depression and self-loathing at times. Some people around the city became afraid of him and gave him a wide berth, but Daxter made sure he stuck by his friend at all times. Jak needed this support more than ever now as he, Daxter, and Damas all wondered what the future had in mind for them…_

* * *

Keira sat silently, taking in Jak and Daxter's story. She had to admit that everything made a lot more sense now, and after hearing this, she decided she was going to stick by him no matter what. "Whatever happens from here," she decided, "You've got my back. It's not fair how everyone is reacting when they don't know your story."

"You believe me, though," Jak said, "Right?"

"Of course," Keira replied, "And I'll do everything I can to help you, even if the others won't."

"Thanks, Keira. You don't know how much this means to me. You know, to be accepted even after all this." And in that moment, Jak began to think that there was a glimmer of hope for his situation after all.


	10. Support

Right. Here's a filler chapter for now because I'm planning out a huge Christmas special for "Haven High School: Senior Year"! Read, review, and enjoy! :)

**DISCLAIMER: **Everything belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

True to her word, Keira stuck by Jak as soon as he was allowed to return to Haven High. She boldly walked with him to all the classes she could and spoke with him on his free periods, much to the shock of the rest of the student body. "Is she crazy?" they whispered to each other, "Does she know what he does when he gets pissed?"

"If she goes and gets herself killed one day, she'll be sorry!"

Amongst all the whispering, Keira Hagai kept her head held high and didn't allow the frivolous gossip to bother her. She even smirked to herself at the knowledge that she knew the real reason behind Jak's abilities and everyone else didn't. Even though it had only been a couple of months since she'd first met him, she already felt a change in her personality. She was more daring and willing to push boundaries. Many believed she was flirting with danger just by hanging out with Jak and Daxter. _They just don't know him like I do, _she thought.

Even her friends were a little reluctant. During her free period with Ashelin, she boldly invited Jak and Daxter to sit with them. Ashelin, while not being as freaked out as she was three weeks ago, still exercised caution, especially after what her father, Baron Praxis, had said about the Wastelander. She knew how to play her cards right, though. "Welcome back, guys!" she greeted as cheerfully as she could, masking the slight nervousness she felt around them.

"Aww, you missed us, babe?" Daxter replied, grinning, "We're touched!"

"I missed Jak," Ashelin teased, "And maybe you, too, Daxter. No, I'm just kidding. I missed both of you!" She hugged them, feeling her fear dissipate completely.

"You really mean that?" Jak asked cautiously, thinking about how she was one of the ones who had distanced herself from him during his suspension.

Ashelin sighed and smiled a little bit. "Well," she began, "I've had a month to think about it. And what my father said about you two."

"And? What do you think?"

She took a deep breath. "I think…I need to help you guys stop our crazy principal! It's not fair that he didn't ask for your side of the story. He always seems to favor certain kids above others." Jak smiled weakly.

"Veger is crazy," Keira piped up, "All we've got to do is convince the others and we're golden."

"Convince the others of what?" Principal Veger himself suddenly asked, standing over the four of them. Daxter growled at him and Keira looked sheepish.

"Nothing, Principal Veger," she replied, shaking her head.

Veger frowned in suspicion. "Come now, Miss Hagai," he insisted, "If you're worried about anything, you know you can talk to me."

"I'm fine," Keira assured him in a slightly edgy voice, which did not go unnoticed by the principal. He turned to Jak and Daxter and smiled cruelly.

"Well, Jak," he started, "Looks like you've earned yourself a reputation around here. Congratulations. It's not every day a Dark Eco Freak enters my school."

Jak stood up in anger. "Say that again," he snapped.

"Jak, don't!" Ashelin hissed under her breath. Veger only smirked.

"You'll see the consequences of your actions one day," he told the Wastelander, "But for now, be careful. That goes for the rest of you as well. Especially you, Miss Praxis." He nodded in Ashelin's direction. He turned and walked away to patrol the hallways.

"Damn," Ashelin cursed, "That was a close one. We've got to get the others involved. And fast!"

"Ash!" another voice cried, and they looked up to see Torn sprinting over to them. He planted a quick kiss on her lips and then swept his gaze over everyone else.

"What's up, Torn?" she asked. He held up a piece of paper with a big "A" written on it.

"I got an 'A' on my Biology assignment!" he announced cheerfully.

"All right! Good job!"

"Thanks!" Torn then turned to face Jak and Daxter. "Welcome back, you two," he greeted, "I'm sorry I didn't speak with you guys over the last month." Jak closed his eyes and shook his head.

"I've heard about Veger's campaign," the auburn-haired boy continued, "And I'm with you to the end. Erol may be my friend, but over the last month, he's changed."

"And me, too," another voice piped up, and everyone turned to see Tess. She was on her way to her Robotics class at the moment, but she decided to stop and chat for a few minutes. Daxter grinned at her as she began her reasons for deciding to put her fear aside.

"We liked you when we first met you," she explained, glancing at Daxter, "And that shouldn't change just because of one little secret." She joined hands with Jak and Daxter, and soon, the whole group ended up linking hands and deciding that they would do this together. Veger would not kick Jak out of school just because he was different.

And from far away, Erol watched them and felt his heart grow heavy. They were all supposed to be his friends, and yet other than the day he had nearly died, none of them had been there for him. And now, they were abandoning him for someone that he knew they were afraid of, but chose to support anyway. It broke his heart to finally see how willing they were to ditch him, and he also realized they were never really his friends to begin with, even throughout high school. Even though he didn't see Rayn or Jinx in their little group, he figured they would eventually ditch him, too. Of course, he would never admit it to himself that it was basically his fault things were the way they were, so he chose to stay in denial.

"Erol," Principal Veger addressed the redhead, patrolling the common area again. The hurt teenager looked up at him.

"You look awful," Veger continued, "Come with me to my office. I want to talk to you about my campaign." Erol nodded and followed him to the main office, where he sat down in the chair, across from Veger.

"I can see how hurt you are by Jak's actions," he started, "And how your friends just abandoned you."

"Yes," Erol growled, "So what?"

"So, I was going to suggest that you join my campaign to get Jak expelled. I'll need all the support I can get. And you're perfect. If we can only get some of the other students to participate as well, then we'll be all set."

Erol hesitated at first. He wasn't sure if the Eco Freak was really worth all that, and Veger picked up on his doubt. "He took everything from you, Erol," the principal reminded him, "Even the girl you're in love with." Erol's head shot up and he glared at Veger.

"How do you know about that?" he demanded, "Are you keeping tabs on me or something?"

"Gossip travels around this school, my boy, and I know you like Keira Hagai. If you want her, you can have her, but you'll have to join my cause first."

_Okay, this is creepy, _Erol thought to himself, _But I'll help. _"I'll do it!" he declared.

"Good," Veger said, nodding his head, "You'll start by finding other recruits."

"Yes, Principal Veger."


	11. Christmas In Haven: Part One

The Christmas special is here! You know, it's funny: this story was originally supposed to be way more humorous than it turned out to be. And you know what? I'm glad it changed into what it is now. Thanks again for your kind reviews, and enjoy this next chapter! Don't forget to read and review! :)

**DISCLAIMER: **Everything belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

Ahh, Christmas! One holiday that everyone in Haven City was looking forward to. Haven High's hallways were decorated up the wazoo with Christmas decorations and even hand-drawn pictures of Mar in a Santa Claus outfit. Even Veger was so excited by the holiday that he had decided to put his crusade against Jak on hold until the end of the vacation.

"Our first Christmas in Haven City, Dax!" Jak announced one day while he and his friends ate lunch in Haven High's cafeteria, "Remember all the Christmas parties we went to back home?"

"Oh yeah!" the ottsel exclaimed, drinking some milk out of a straw, "Those were the days!"

"Were they as wild and crazy as they are here?" Keira asked, giggling.

"Wilder _and _crazier!" Daxter answered, winking and making Tess laugh at the same time.

"What are you all doing over vacation?" Jak asked. At his question, everyone sighed, and he chuckled in an attempt to lighten up the mood.

"What's up?" he asked.

"My father's leaving me in charge of decorating the entire city for Christmas!" Ashelin explained, "And he's inviting Veger over to help! Talk about a family reunion." She laughed harshly.

"Jinx is inviting me and my father to Kras City to meet the rest of his family," Rayn piped up from where she sat next to Jinx, "And Father's decided to bring his side of the family for a big party!"

"Well, I'm not really doing anything exciting," Keira answered, "It's just going to be me and Daddy, like it's always been."

"Ick!" Daxter said, making a face, "I couldn't imagine a Christmas with old crabby greenie!"

"I'm going to my grandparents' house," Tess responded, "It's a family tradition." By this time, everyone except for Torn had answered.

"Torn?" Jak pressed, staring at the silent teenager. But Torn still didn't answer.

"What's wrong?" Ashelin asked, stroking his cheek affectionately.

"I don't believe in the holidays," Torn replied, "I never have, and I never will. I'm sorry guys, but I have some work I have to catch up on. I'll see you guys later." He kissed Ashelin quickly before getting up and leaving the cafeteria. Everyone stared after him.

"Bah, humbug!" Daxter commented, "He isn't in the spirit of things that much, is he?"

"No," Tess replied sagely, shaking her head, "It probably has something to do with Erol. They always spent the holidays together. And the Baron hates him even though he's going out with Ashelin."

Ashelin looked scandalized. "What?" she cried, "No, he doesn't, Tess! Why would you say something like that?"

Tess didn't reply at first, which made Ashelin become doubtful. "Did Torn tell you something?" she demanded.

The blonde looked up and shook her head. "No," she insisted, "Just forget I said anything, okay?"

"No, I want to know now! What did Torn tell you?" She leaned over the table until she was in Tess's face, and the others looked on in fear. Whenever Ashelin was angry about something, a fight was bound to occur after that.

Daxter leaped down from Jak's shoulder and got in the middle of the two girls. "Okay, break it up, babes!" he shouted. But Ashelin and Tess didn't make up right away; both of them folded their arms and turned their backs on each other, each of them angry with the other. Everyone else could feel the tension already. Not a good way to start off the holidays.

"When are you leaving for Kras City, Rayn?" Keira asked, leaning over Ashelin's intimidating figure to look her friend in the eye.

"We're leaving as soon as the week is over," Rayn replied, turning to face Jinx and smiling at him. He placed his hands around her waist.

"My brother is there," he explained to the others, "I thought Rayn would like to meet him."

Suddenly, the bell rang, and Ashelin and Tess immediately leaped up from the table and both stormed towards the exit of the cafeteria, bumping into and glaring at each other on the way out. From far away, the rest of the gang could see Erol smirking to himself. "Are they ever going to make up?" Jak asked worriedly.

"They will," Keira answered, "They always have fights like this."

"I don't know, you guys," Rayn piped up, pointing, "Look." Everyone looked to see the two girls fighting towards the exit of the cafeteria, and the fight got so bad that Kleiver had to break them up and lecture them. While they watched, Erol, flanked by Mog and Grim, approached their table.

"Looks like your group of friends is going to hell," he taunted, "You guys are nothing without me."

"Shut up, Erol!" Daxter snapped, "What would you know?"

"I know that Veger and I are going to take you all down once the vacations are over." He smirked. "Happy holidays!" And with a smug wave, he and his new friends walked away.

"I hate that guy," Jak growled, "Thank Mar we don't have to see him over vacation!" The bell rang in that instant, and everyone left to go to their respective classes.

* * *

"We're home, Damas!" Daxter announced as he and Jak walked through the door.

"Good!" Damas replied, entering the room with three cups of eggnog in his hand, "I want you boys to try this eggnog that I tried to make while you were out!" Jak and Daxter both reached for a cup and took small sips. Though Damas never made anything of his own at home, he surprisingly did a good job with this one. They nodded their approval just as Damas opened his mouth to say something else.

"I know that even though you boys miss Spargus, I've decided to invite some of the Wastelanders here for a Christmas celebration," he explained.

"Wastelanders?" Jak echoed, "In Haven City?" He grinned. "_That _should be interesting."

"And a new experience. Seems like the people in Haven don't know a thing about us Wastelanders. Maybe it's time they got a taste of our life."

"Who did you invite?" Daxter asked.

"I've already invited Seem and her monks. I've just got to make a few more calls by tonight and then we're set. If you want to invite any of your friends, Jak, you can."

_Hmm_, Jak thought to himself.

* * *

"Ahh, Keira," Samos sighed as he and his daughter entered their home, "The holidays are upon us at last. I am going to Haven Forest to look for a tree this weekend if you want to join me."

"But how are you going to get a tree, Daddy?" Keira asked, "You hate cutting them down!"

"I can improvise," the Green Sage replied, "I am the Green Sage, after all."

Keira rolled her eyes. Her father could be so full of himself sometimes. "Are you going to try to make another tree out of Green Eco again? Remember what happened last time?"

Samos smiled fondly. "Yes, I do. But we'll be more careful this time."

Suddenly, Keira's cell phone rang, and she saw it was Tess. "Hold on a minute, Daddy," she said, "Tess is calling me. She and Ashelin aren't speaking to each other right now."

The Green Sage suddenly looked sad, and Keira didn't know why. He only nodded and watched as she ran upstairs, skipping two steps at a time, until she arrived in her room.

Keira closed her door, flopped down on her bed, and flipped her phone open. "Hey, Tess!" she greeted, "How's the packing going?"

"Just fine," Tess replied with a hint of edge in her voice, "I'm leaving tomorrow morning. Anything to get me out of having to speak to Ashelin."

"You guys are still fighting?"

"Ugh! So I slipped up and said some things I shouldn't have, but she's overreacting! She always does!"

"_Did _Torn tell you something, though? About the Baron?"

Tess sighed angrily. "Yes, but I don't want to talk about it right now," she hissed, "I'm not letting this minor spat with Ash ruin my holiday."

"You know I'm just going to ask you about it again next time."

Keira heard her phone beep, which meant someone else was trying to call. "Hold on, Tess," she said, "I've got another call." She switched over to the other line.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Keira," Ashelin replied, and Keira tried not to gasp.

"Hey, Ash," she greeted smoothly, "How's everything at the Palace?"

"Horrible! Father doesn't like any of my designs, so that's why he's bringing Veger! Eww!"

"That's going to be awkward having the principal over at your place for Christmas."

"Tell me about it! I wish you guys could be here! If I wasn't pissed off at Tess, I would say the same about her."

"You guys just need to talk about what she said."

"I wish she hadn't planted doubts in my head about Torn. She knows something. I just know it!"

"Well, I'm sure you'll figure it out. Just talk to her and you'll see."

"I've got to go now. Father's calling me."

"Try to have fun." Ashelin scoffed and hung up, and Keira switched back over to Tess.

"That was Ash," she reported, "She feels like you've planted doubts about her relationship with Torn."

"Oh Precursors!" Tess snapped, "Is she serious? Torn loves her and she ought to know that!"

"I'm just passing on the message."

"Whatever. Ashelin can go do whatever she wants. I've got to finish packing. Have a good holiday, Keira." She hung up, and Keira closed her phone, feeling a cold sensation in her stomach.

* * *

After bidding Mog and Grim goodbye, Erol continued on the way home in the slums. Everyone around him was talking excitedly about Christmas, and even though he had wished his old friends to have a happy holiday, he knew he was talking too big for his own words. He knew they were bound to have a good vacation, whereas he wasn't as lucky.

Erol took a key out of his pocket and unlocked the door…only to be greeted by the sound of glass breaking. "Mom? Dad?" he asked, "What was that?"

"Nothing!" his father exclaimed, "It was just a beer bottle! Your mother and I were just having another beer."

"What else is new?" Erol muttered under his breath, but his mother heard him.

"What did you say, freak?" she snapped, clearly drunk from whatever she had already sipped, "Huh? What did you say?"

"Nothing. I'm going upstairs." Just as he was heading up the stairs, he heard his parents start yet another row over nothing at all, and he was sure it would wake up everyone in the apartment building. _Fighting again! _He thought sadly, _Won't they ever stop? _

Erol arrived in his room, locked the door behind him, and reached for his own supply of whiskey. He uncapped the canister and began to take small sips from it, and he couldn't stop. While he felt himself slowly get drunk, he reached for his eleventh grade Haven High yearbook. His fingers slipped on the pages as the alcohol slowly took over, but he still flipped through the book, studying all the pictures he had taken with his friends over the year, including the Red Eco explosion in Dr. Vin's Physics class. Although his friends didn't know it, he missed them a lot. Sure, Mog and Grim were okay, but nothing would replace Torn, Ashelin, Keira, Tess, Jinx, and Rayn.

Erol turned the next page and stumbled upon a picture of him and Keira that had been taken at the annual Valentine's Day dance, and he felt like he would cry. Of course, it had been very random when the Green Sage's daughter had decided to break up with him. He never knew why, either, and he had spent the rest of the year trying to figure out the reason. Then Jak had entered the picture.

Of course, he would never admit how threatened he had felt when Jak and Daxter had arrived, but he knew that freak had to go down. After the holidays, Jak would be toast. _After the holidays, _he thought with a melancholy sigh.


	12. Christmas In Haven: Part Two

Here's Part Two of "Christmas In Haven"! Read, review, and enjoy! :)

**DISCLAIMER: **Everything belongs to Naughty Dog, except for Ellen and Ron, Torn's parents, who are my OCs.

* * *

"Mmm," Krew hummed to himself as he and Rayn drove to Jinx's house near the Stadium that weekend, "So we're going to be meeting Jinx's older brother, eh?"

"Yes, Father," Rayn replied, sighing and pointing to the back of the large van, "But did you have to bring all of _them_, too?" When they were stopped at a red light, Krew glanced towards the back, where the rest of the family waved in unison.

"Hello, Rayn!" they all greeted in the same voice, having the same appearance as her father. The way they all spoke at the same time was a little strange to the teenager.

"Of course, dear Rayn," Krew replied heartily, "The clones are part of the family, too."

"They're all you!" Rayn shouted, "And they're extremely annoying! Just tell them not to embarrass me in front of Jinx and his family!" Krew looked at his daughter, but didn't say a word as he kept his pudgy fingers on the wheel and looked straight ahead.

_She thinks my clones are annoying, eh? _He thought to himself, _So therefore, she's calling me annoying, too! How does that make me feel, hmm?_ Krew found Jinx's house quickly and parked outside while Rayn got out of the van and approached the door. She refused to look at her father and his clones as Jinx answered the door, a smirk on his face and a cigarette in his mouth as always.

"Sugar!" he greeted, kissing Rayn, "You're here early! And you brought the whole family, too?"

"Clones and all," Rayn muttered under her breath, "Father and I are here to pick you up, but can we take your Zoomer instead? I don't think I can _stand _to be in the same car with everyone who looks like him for hours!"

Jinx glanced over his girlfriend's shoulder and waved at Krew and the clones. "They don't look too bad to me," he replied playfully, "Besides, isn't that going to hurt his feelings?"

Rayn shook her head. "No!" she insisted, "He rather likes talking to himself anyway! Ahh, well. I think we should take your Zoomer and Father can follow."

"I'll just give him the directions and then we can get going." Jinx hauled his suitcase over to the van and placed it in the truck, and then went around to the driver's seat to give Krew the directions to Kras City.

"You're not going to be traveling with me, Rayn?" Krew asked, his voice breaking a little bit.

"Sorry, Father," his daughter answered, taking a helmet from Jinx and speeding off with him.

* * *

Torn sat in his living room, watching as his parents began to decorate a Christmas tree with a star shaped like Mar on top. "I don't get why you guys like the holidays so much," he grumbled. His mother, Ellen, walked over to him and rested some ornaments on his lap.

"And I don't get why you don't," she replied, "Come on. Help us decorate the tree."

"No, thanks," Torn declined, "I'm going to call Ashelin and see how she's holding up at the Palace."

"Tell her we said hello!" his father, Ron, added as he helped Ellen wrap the lights around the tree. Torn nodded and headed upstairs to call his girlfriend.

"Torn," Ashelin greeted stiffly once she picked up the phone.

"Ashelin," Torn replied in an equally stern voice, "What's going on at the Palace?"

"Father's going crazy with decorating! Veger wants to shine Light Eco everywhere and he's trying to ask my father if he can lead a hunt for it around the city!"

"Does he really think he's going to find it? You heard Dr. Vin that day. It's really rare."

"It's Veger! Of course he'll try. I need a break from all this, though. Can you meet me in the Bazaar? We need to talk anyway."

Torn chuckled nervously to himself. "Uh oh," he said half-heartedly, "That doesn't sound good. I'll meet you there." He hung up the phone, grabbed his jacket, and climbed out the window of his room.

When he finally met up with Ashelin in the Bazaar, she decided to shoot from the hip, like she always did. "Torn, I've got to be honest with you," she started, "Are you trying to hide something from me?"

Torn scratched his long ears. "What?" he asked, "Why would you think that?"

"Tess said some things at school earlier this week about my father hating you! Did you tell her something?"

Now, Torn paled. "No," he lied, "I don't know what she's talking about."

Ashelin glared at her boyfriend from across the table. "Come on, Torn!" she insisted, "Just tell me the truth!"

Torn looked away. "I don't know if I can," he mumbled, "You wouldn't believe me!"

"I don't believe you!" Ashelin snapped, jumping up from the table outside the café. Torn leaped up after her.

"Wait, we need to talk about this!" he shouted after her as she started to walk away, but she turned around and gave him the evil eye.

"Call me when you're ready to be man enough to tell the truth!" she said, walking away just as a light snow began to fall. Everyone in the café was staring at Torn as he sadly watched his girlfriend leave.

"What are all of you staring at?" he demanded.

"Ashelin sure told you off, huh?" a familiar voice teased, and Torn turned to see Erol sitting alone at one of the café tables.

"Erol!" Torn cried, "What the hell are you doing here?"

The redhead crossed his arms and rested his feet on top of the table as he smirked and replied, "Just seeing how my _ex_-best friend is coping with everything."

"I _knew _you were going to make this about you," Torn muttered as he sat across from his old friend.

"I'm telling you," Erol said, "You're digging a hole for yourself. You need to tell her the truth. Hell, you've told me way more than you've told her!"

"Surprisingly, you're not helping right now!"

Erol tilted his head to the side and grinned again. "Look, the holidays are starting off badly for both of us," he pointed out, "Let's raise hell around the city like we used to!"

"What happened to Mog and Grim?" Torn asked with a smirk on his face.

"You think I want to be friends with those idiots for the rest of high school? I don't know why Jinx even likes them!"

Although Torn was no longer friends with Erol, he had to laugh; Erol had a point there. "Believe it or not," the redhead continued, "I miss you guys. _You _all don't seem to miss me, though."

Torn shook his head. "That's because you instigated everything with Jak!" he reasoned, "What the hell were you thinking?"

Erol closed his eyes and shook his head. "You wouldn't understand," he replied.

"Whatever. I'm out of here." Torn got up from the table before Erol could say anything else, and he slipped a hat on over his head as he walked into the slightly heavier snow.

"Torn!" Erol shouted all of a sudden. Torn turned around.

"If you still want to go crazy tonight, I'll be waiting here later." He winked.

"Don't count on it!" Torn shouted in response.

* * *

At home, the doorbell rang, and Jak and Daxter went to answer it. "Seem!" he cried joyfully, "It's good to see you!" Even though the head monk didn't like to be hugged, Jak still hugged her anyway.

"It's good to see you, too, Jak," Seem replied, ruffling his hair a little bit, "And how is Orange Lightning?"

"Orange Lightning is doing just great!" Daxter replied, beaming, "You're just in time for the celebration! Damas is right in the kitchen!" Jak and Daxter led Seem and the rest of her monks into the kitchen, where Damas was sitting at the table.

"You made it!" he cried, shaking hands with Seem, "How was your journey from Spargus?"

"A little tiring, but we managed," Seem replied, "So, this is the infamous Haven City, huh?"

"Yes. We've gotten settled here now." Damas nodded proudly. "How is everything back home?"

"Good, thanks. But we're getting word that something is on the move in the desert."

Jak and Daxter glanced at each other. "Isn't that what that crazy interpreter said?" Daxter whispered to Jak, who shook his head.

"Mobilize your armies!" Damas commanded, just like he had in the past, "And tell the Marauders to be careful!"

"You know they'll never listen to us!"

"Use your powers of persuasion. Even they will not want to be around for a Metal Head attack." Seem nodded.

"Besides," Damas continued, "It's the holidays. This is a time to relax and have fun. Two things we Wastelanders know how to do!"

"Oh, yeah!" Daxter piped up.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang again, and when Jak went to answer it, a surprise awaited him; it was Kleiver, the man behind the lunch counter!

"Hello, newbies!" he greeted, "Though I shouldn't call you that anymore, eh?"

"_Kleiver_?" Daxter shrieked, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm an old friend of your father's, eh?" Kleiver replied, "And he invited me over for your little Christmas party."

"Kleiver?" Damas suddenly cried, rushing over to the intimidating man, "Is that you? I haven't seen you in so long! How have you been?"

"I've been keeping everyone in that godforsaken school in line!" the Wastelander replied heartily, chuckling at Jak and Daxter's thunderstruck faces.

"What do you mean?" Daxter cried, "You're only the man behind the lunch counter!"

"Shut up, you talking rat!" Kleiver replied. He went to grab the ottsel by the throat when Damas clapped his hands.

"Enough!" he cried, "We're here to bring everyone together for the holidays! Now, we're going to have a celebration, and we're going to have fun! Understood?"

"Yes, Damas!" everyone replied.

"And Jak," Damas continued, looking down at his son, "Have you thought about anyone you want to invite over here for the big day?"

Jak looked down for a minute. There _was _someone he was thinking about, but he wasn't sure if he should go ahead and invite her or not. _Keira, _he thought; she had said it would just be her and her father. Why not invite them over here? "Well, there is Keira and her father," he answered.

"Why don't you invite them here? They can get to know all of us."

"Yeah, go for it, Jak!" Daxter encouraged his friend, and Jak decided that when Christmas day arrived, he would make sure Keira was present.

* * *

"Whoa, Jinx! Slow down!" Rayn cried hours later as she and Jinx sped through the streets of Kras City on Jinx's Zoomer. Behind them, Krew was still driving the van with his clones in it.

"I thought you liked the speed," Jinx teased, winking at her.

"This is different. You're going to make us crash!"

"Don't worry about it, babe. I'll make sure we're alive." Rayn took a deep breath and began to relax.

"Say, Rayn," Jinx added two seconds later, "Are you sure your father's okay back there? He looks like he's about to cry!" Rayn glanced over her shoulder, and sure enough, there was Krew, gripping the wheel on his van and not bothering to dab his wet eyes and cheeks. He was glaring at Jinx the entire time.

"_About _to?" Rayn echoed, "He's already broken the dam!" She felt a little guilty for abandoning her father like this, but she pushed it away just as quickly as she spotted a bar in the distance.

"Look, Jinx!" she cried, "You and I can go there later!"

"The Bloody Hook?" her boyfriend replied, grinning, "I love that place! My brother takes me there every time I come here to visit!"

"What's your brother's name?"

"Razer."

When they finally arrived at the designated address, they already spotted a man who was a few years older than Jinx standing outside. He looked extremely sophisticated, with dark clothing and black hair that was gelled. He smirked as Jinx, Rayn, Krew, and Krew's clones pulled up.

"Jinxy-boy!" he shouted in a unique accent, pulling his brother in for a hug, "It's good to see you for the holidays! So, is this everyone?"

"Yep," Jinx replied, turning to Rayn and her family, "Razer, this is my girlfriend, Rayn, her father, Mr. Krew, and Mr. Krew's clones! Everyone, this is my brother, Razer!"

"It's nice to meet you," Rayn replied, shaking Razer's hand. Like his brother, Razer puffed on a cigarette and smirked, and she could see where her boyfriend got that part of him from.

"Let's all go inside," Razer suggested, "It's awfully cold out here."

"WARMTH!" all of Krew's clones suddenly shouted, running over the others as they ran inside.

"Yes, well, we'd better get moving," Razer said, fixing his jacket, "There's so much I want to talk to you guys about today, and I'm sure my brother wants to give Rayn a tour of the city!" He winked at Rayn as he said this, and Krew was foaming at the mouth.


	13. Christmas In Haven: Part Three

Part Three of "Christmas In Haven" is here! There is a lot of drama in this chapter, and it was pretty fun to write! Once again, a big thanks to everyone who has reviewed! Don't forget to read and review! :)

**DISCLAIMER: **Everything belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

The snow was starting to completely cover the streets of Haven City, but Erol didn't move from his table in the Bazaar, even as the people around him bundled up and started to leave and new people arrived. A few people gave him funny looks because he had been sitting there for a long time, but for the most part, everyone ignored him. Erol was a little cold, and his hands and face were starting to feel numb, but he didn't care. He wasn't ready to go back to the hell that was his apartment, even though he _was _dying for a cup of hot chocolate at that point. Ever since he had spoken with Torn earlier, he had remained at the café, gazing at the Praxis Palace.

Erol was about to leave and think of somewhere else to go when a voice suddenly called out to him. "Hi, Erol," Torn greeted, walking up to him and sitting down across from him. His ex-best friend was all bundled up in a jacket, gloves, and a hat. For a moment, Erol's hazel eyes widened in surprise, but then he smirked and crossed his arms.

"Wow, you actually came back," he commented in mock surprise, "I knew you would."

"Please," Torn replied, rolling his eyes, "You didn't know anything. I'm just feeling down about everything, that's all. Ashelin isn't returning my calls."

Erol smirked. "I already told you what you have to do," he said, "But you didn't listen. None of you ever listen to me."

Torn narrowed his eyes. "See?" he cried, "That's your problem! You're making everything about you! Stop being a selfish _asshole _for once and actually act like a friend!"

At first, Erol recoiled from hearing Torn call him an asshole, and then he frowned, his gaze hardening. "That's cold, Torn," he snapped, "You just don't want to hear the truth."

"This is why Keira broke up with you," Torn snarled under his breath, and as soon as he realized what he had said, he wished he hadn't spoken at all. As quick as lightning, Erol leaped up from his seat, leaned across the table, grabbed Torn by his scarf, and pulled him until he was practically choking.

"Take…that…back," Erol fumed, "_Now_."

"Why should I?" Torn choked in response, "After everything you put Jak through?"

"This is different. Take back what you said."

"I'm not backing down like some coward! It's not my fault Keira broke up with you. It's not Jak's fault that everyone happened to like him when he showed up! It's not my fault you have a shitty home life!"

"You're asking for it right now!"

"All right, that's enough!" the owner of the café suddenly snapped, stepping in between the two boys, "Don't start fighting unless you want me to call the KG."

Both boys glanced at each other and stepped away from the café as everyone stared at them. Once they were a safe distance away from everyone, Erol rounded on Torn. "Why did you come back, anyway?" he asked.

Torn sighed. "I was here to say that since we're both in bad situations, we should just let it go for the night. You know, get completely drunk."

A ghost of a smile tugged at Erol's lips. "Seriously?" he asked. Torn nodded.

"It can't hurt," Torn said, "You offered before, anyway."

"Let's go, then! First round at the Hip Hog is on me!"

_Jak and the others are going to kill me for this_, Torn thought to himself as he and Erol prepared themselves for the wildest night of their lives.

* * *

"Keira," Samos spoke up from outside, "Could you please come help me get this plant inside? I don't want it to freeze in the snow outside."

Keira put her wrench down and got up to help her father. Together, they moved the plant inside, and by the fireplace. As they did so, Keira's cell phone rang again, and she answered it. "Hello?" she asked.

"Hey, Keira," Jak's smooth voice responded from the other end.

Keira nearly tripped over the tile floor. "Oh, hi, Jak!" she replied in her slightly scratchy voice, "How's it going?"

"Not bad. Dad invited most of the Wastelanders we knew over for the holiday week. What about over there?"

"Daddy's gotten a tree from Haven Forest and he's decorating it with Green Eco lights."

"How would you and your father like to come over on Christmas morning?" Jak suddenly asked in a rush.

For a minute, Keira couldn't speak. Had Jak just invited her over to his house for the holidays? Her stomach turned in excitement over and over again. "You want us to meet your family?" she asked in anticipation.

"Yeah," Jak replied.

"I'd love to!" Keira exclaimed, making Jak chuckle in relief.

"If it's okay with Professor Samos, of course," he added.

"I'm sure it will be fine," the Green Sage's daughter assured him, "Trust me."

"Then we'll see both of you on Christmas morning!" Jak hung up, and Keira closed her phone happily.

"Ahem," Samos suddenly grumbled from behind her, and Keira turned around to see her father folding his arms together and tapping his foot on the floor. He was glaring at his daughter in disapproval.

It took Keira a minute before she realized what her father was annoyed about. "Oh," she gasped.

"Who was that on the phone?" the Green Sage asked.

"Jak," Keira answered, "He and Mr. Damas invited us over to their house for Christmas Day." From the way Samos was continuing to narrow his eyes, she could already tell that he was going to say no, which made her angry.

"I don't think it would be safe if we went," he decided.

"What do you mean, 'not safe'?" Keira demanded.

"I've heard the rumors about him. And what he can do."

"So he knows how to channel Dark Eco! I don't see what the big deal is."

"The _big deal_, Keira, is that you could be killed if he ever snaps in front of you one day!"

"He knows how to control it. He told me so."

"I'm sorry, Keira, but I will not allow you to go there for Christmas."

Keira usually never got truly angry at people until now. She was tired of Samos trying to protect her from everything and she was sick of him treating her like a child. As she turned around and walked back up the stairs, she spoke the words no parent wanted to hear: "I hate you!"

* * *

Hours later, Ashelin walked around the Palace and watched some of the Krimzon Guards hang up snowflakes and lights on the walls. But she wasn't in a festive mood right now. She was still fighting with Tess and she had been ignoring Torn's calls all day. It seemed like the only ones who were actually enjoying the holidays so far were Jak, Daxter, Jinx, and Rayn. She sighed sadly.

Suddenly, her father approached her as he walked around with Christmas lights in his hand. "Someone's here to see you," he announced, "The KG is escorting her in right now." Two Guards walked up to her with Keira Hagai in tow.

"Keira!" she cried, surprised, as she hugged her friend.

"Hey, Ash," Keira replied, "I thought I'd come by and see how the Praxis Palace decorating is going."

"Yeah, sure, let's go to my room." Ashelin thanked the guards for their efforts and then the two girls went to Ashelin's room. As they sat down on the queen-sized bed in there, Ashelin broke the silence.

"So…" she started, twirling a Christmas ornament in her hand, "What's going on?"

Keira sighed, blowing wind onto some of her blue-green hair. "This is going to sound crazy," she replied, "But can I stay here with you for a few days?"

"Why? Did something happen?"

"I'm mad at Daddy right now and I said some things that weren't nice." Keira folded her arms and just stared out the window that overlooked the rest of the city.

"Uh oh. What did you say?"

"I told him I hated him."

Ashelin gasped. "Ouch, Keira!" she cried, "That's harsh."

"I know, but I was just so angry. And you know I never get angry like that."

"Tell me everything that happened. From the beginning." Keira exhaled and proceeded to tell her friend all about how Jak had invited her over to his house for Christmas day and how Samos had gone into overprotective mode again. The whole time, Ashelin just listened, but it was hard to tell what she was thinking about all this.

"Does he know you're here?" she asked.

"No," Keira hissed, "And don't tell him I'm here either. I don't want to see him." She laid down on the bed again and stared up at the ceiling.

"Change of subject," the Green Sage's daughter announced, "What's going on with you, Torn, and Tess?"

Ashelin shook her head and sighed. "I don't know," she replied, "Torn's definitely hiding something from me now, and I haven't even spoken to Tess since that day in school. They both just need to come clean about whatever Father said about Torn. But why would he tell Tess and not me?"

"Because he knows you get defensive over anything negative he says about the Baron. Like now."

"Do you think I'm being too hard on him?"

"Maybe. Just call him. It can't hurt."

"I might later, after I'm finished decorating my room for the holidays. I really hope things get better from here." _And I hope Keira wakes up and realizes what she said to Samos was wrong, _Ashelin added as a silent afterthought.

* * *

Jak and Daxter walked around as Damas, Seem, Kleiver, and the rest of the monks all talked amongst themselves. They were basking in the warmth of the holiday spirit that hung around the house. "Say, Dax," Jak said, "Is there anyone else you want to invite besides Keira?"

"Well, buddy," the ottsel replied, "If Tess hadn't gone to her grandparents' house, I would have invited her." Although he never said it out loud to Jak, Daxter had been sort-of developing a crush on Tess for quite some time. She was funny, and of course, good-looking. But he knew that as an ottsel, he would never have a chance with her. Yet that didn't stop him from trying.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door, and Jak and Daxter went to answer it…and found Samos Hagai standing on the other side. "Hey, it's old greenie!" Daxter exclaimed, "I am not cleaning any beakers or jars for you today! It's the holidays!"

"What are you doing here, Professor Hagai?" Jak asked with curiosity.

But to both of their surprises, Samos raised his walking stick and smacked Jak across the cheek. "What was _that _for?" Jak yelled, beginning to attract the attention of the Wastelanders in the house, as well as feel Dark Jak start to emerge.

"That's for corrupting my daughter!" the Green Sage yelled.

"Corrupting Keira?" Jak echoed angrily, "What are you talking about? What did I do?"

"Ever since you showed up, she has been acting out of control! Today, she ran away from home!" Jak's eyes widened in concern.

"Ran away? Is she okay?"

Samos scoffed. "I thought you knew!" he spat.

"What's going on here?" Damas asked, standing next to Jak.

"Old greenie showed up here and hit Jak across the face!" Daxter reported, pointing to the gash on the Wastelander's cheeks.

"I'm sorry Keira is missing!" Jak quipped to an angry Samos, "But I don't know where she is! You can't just show up here and hit me because of that! I don't have anything to do with it!"

"You have everything to do with it!" Samos snapped in return.

"Hey hey hey!" Damas bellowed in his authoritative, Wastelander voice, "There is no need to yell about this! We'll just call the KG and put out a description for her." Suddenly, all the other Wastelanders appeared behind a fuming Jak.

"Besides," Seem piped up, "If you mess with Jak, you mess with all of us." All of the monks glared at Samos, and even though he was a little intimidated, he refused to back down. Instead, he gave Jak a death glare.

"I _swear _to the Precursors…" he started, but didn't finish, as Damas took him to the side and started asking for a description of Keira. Jak rubbed his bleeding cheek as Seem took him inside.

"Let's get some Green Eco for that," she whispered to him, and while Jak healed himself, he hoped Keira was all right. He decided to try her cell phone, but didn't get an answer. Perhaps she had turned it off sometime during the day.

* * *

"Ha ha ha ha! This is so much fun! I'm glad you decided to drag me here tonight!" Torn laughed at the top of his lungs as he and Erol finished their fourth round of beers at the Hip Hog Heaven Saloon. All around them, the crowed was growing wild as everyone got drunk and held loud conversations, Torn and Erol included. By now, they were both feeling lightheaded, but it didn't matter; they were having fun.

"I told you!" Erol replied, downing a fifth beer now, "And you wanted to stay home and mope over Ashelin!"

"I know, this is so much better!" Torn ordered another beer as well. They had been there for the last few hours getting drunk together, and they had gone running around Haven City itself, being as loud and obnoxious as possible. Now, they overheard two people their age talking loudly in the corner.

"Dude, we so have to do it!" a tall, blond teenager with a green wife beater and backwards cap drawled.

"We have to find a Zoomer first!" a blue-haired girl next to him added. Erol licked his lips, got up, and began to approach the couple.

"What are you doing?" Torn asked harshly.

"Getting us to do something reckless," the redhead whispered back as they approached the boy and girl.

"What are you guys talking about?" Erol asked boldly.

"Going for a joyride, dude!" the boy replied, "Want to join us? The name's Ximon, and this is my girlfriend, Taryn!"

"You should join us," Taryn quipped.

"We're in!" Torn announced, feeling his mouth go dry from all the beer. The four of them exited the Hip Hog and quickly hijacked a four-seated Zoomer.

"All right, dudes!" Ximon cried, taking over the wheel, "Let's get this show on the road!" He put his foot to the gas pedal, and screaming at the top of their lungs, the four of them took off into the night. They sped through the Port, around to the gardens, through the Bazaar, through the other end of the gardens, and finally to the Stadium section. "WOOHOO!" they all cried as they purposely almost ran into other Zoomers and crashed into buildings. Erol and Torn's hearts were pumping, and adrenaline rushed through their veins. Even though the Baron's automated messages were warning Haven City of heavy snow, they continued to drive recklessly anyway. At one point, the Zoomer tilted to the side, causing Taryn, Erol, and Torn to hold on for dear life, but once they were fine again, all of them began laughing again.

They were now cruising through the slums and then entering the water slums, where all the water had completely frozen. Instead of slowing down, Ximon accelerated even more, and then, all of their cries of joy soon turned to horror.

"Ximon, look out!" Taryn cried, and before he could stop, Ximon found himself crashing the Zoomer into the shield wall leading out to the Pumping Station, and Torn and Erol saw stars in their eyes before they fainted.


	14. Christmas In Haven: Part Four

Here's part four of "Christmas in Haven", the second to last part of the Christmas special. The final part will be up after this! Don't forget to read and review! :)

**DISCLAIMER: **Everything belongs to Naughty Dog.

_Italics- _Flashbacks

* * *

_**The next day…**_

The next day, Torn opened his eyes…and found himself in the hospital, just like Erol had been. He looked around at the IV that was pumping small amounts of Green Eco into his body. _Ugh, what happened? _He thought, _How long have I been out? _

"Hey," a familiar voice greeted, "How are you feeling?"

"Tess?" Torn asked groggily, "Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me. And your parents just left now. They'll be back in a few minutes."

Torn opened his eyes fully now and saw that Tess was indeed standing over him. She smiled. "I arrived from my grandparents' house as soon as I heard about what happened." Then, her expression turned serious.

"What the hell were you doing with Erol, though?" she asked. Torn groaned and grabbed his head.

"Ugh," he replied, "I don't want to talk about it right now." Then, he sat bolt upright in bed.

"Wait, Erol, Ximon, and Taryn! Are they okay?" he asked worriedly.

"They're fine. Erol got cut up pretty badly, but Ximon and Taryn were released earlier today. I still don't know why you were hanging out with Erol, though! After he decided to crusade against Jak!"

"I was just feeling depressed about everything. Ashelin was angry with me and I had no one else to turn to. I know she was angry with you, too." Tess sighed.

"She was," she confirmed, "But I haven't even spoken to her since that day in school. I spoke with your parents, and they said she was on her way now." Torn collapsed back onto his couch.

"Hey," Tess whispered, "It'll be okay. Ash will make up with you, even if she never talks to me again."

"What about the others?"

"Keira, Jak and Daxter were here visiting before. Apparently, Keira's angry with her father right now."

Torn laughed harshly. "Happy holidays, huh?"

Tess rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Rayn and Jinx are still in Kras, so they send their regards." Torn nodded.

Suddenly, the door flew open, and Ashelin ran into the room. "Torn!" she cried, running over to him, "Are you all right?"

"I've been cut up worse than this," her boyfriend replied, "I'll live."

"Well, now that we have that cleared up," Ashelin started, shoving Torn's shoulder, "What the hell were you doing with Erol? And Tess, why are you here? Why were you two keeping secrets from me?"

"Ow!" Torn cried, "Headache! Too much screaming. If you calm down, we'll tell you."

"We will?" Tess asked, glancing cautiously from Torn to Ashelin. Torn nodded.

"Yes, we will. She has a right to know." Both of them turned to face Ashelin, who waited impatiently.

"Your father threatened to kill me," Torn explained in a rush, "There. I said it."

Ashelin froze where she was. "_What_?" she hissed.

"Your father threatened to kill Torn," Tess repeated.

"I heard him the first time! And I don't believe you! What are you talking about? My father would never do something like that! And why would you tell Tess that instead of me? I'm you _girlfriend_!"

"I felt like I couldn't tell you because you would get defensive."

"Tell me everything! From the beginning!" Ashelin moved to sit on the edge of the bed as Torn and Tess told her all about what Baron Praxis had said.

* * *

_"So, you're dating my daughter, are you?" Baron Praxis asked Torn after Ashelin had to go back upstairs to her room to retrieve something. _

_Torn nodded. "Yes," he answered, "For three months now." _

_Praxis nodded, grinning to himself. "You know what her last name is, right?" he asked. Torn nodded again. _

_"And you know who her father is." Another nod. _

_"Good. So let's make something clear right now: if you ever break my daughter's heart, I'll kill you. I don't care how, but I will. I am the Baron of this city, after all; I can do anything. Do we have an understanding?" _

_Torn gulped; he was rarely afraid of anything in Haven City, but he was unsettled by this threat. "Yes, sir," he replied, a slight tremor in his voice. _

_Praxis smiled. "Good. Now, can you hand me my Eco sword?" _

* * *

"No," Ashelin whispered, "No! He can't do that to you!"

"I told you," Torn piped up, "He was crazy that day."

"I'm definitely going to have to talk to him about this. He can't ruin your holiday like that."

"I'd say it's already been ruined. Nobody's in a festive mood around here."

"Then we'll _make _it festive!" Tess declared, "And I've got an idea." She grinned, oddly reminding Torn and Ashelin of Daxter.

* * *

_**Three days later…**_

"So," Razer began as he, Jinx, Rayn, and Krew walked back to Razer's house from the race track, "What did you think?"

"I loved it!" Rayn exclaimed, "That was great!"

"See?" Jinx asked, wrapping his arm around her waist, "I told you my brother could race, sugar!"

Rayn laughed. "Yeah, you did." Behind them, Krew was fuming again. Ever since they had arrived in Kras City, Rayn had been ignoring him and his clones, though how she managed to avoid the clones was a mystery, since they were _everywhere_! It hurt that his own daughter didn't even want to be around him half the time, so he decided he was going to use this trip to get closer to her.

"You know," he started to Razer, "My Rayn here always loved the races in Haven City, eh? Why one time, she-"

"Father!" Rayn snapped, whirling around to face him, "Please spare me the humiliation." That one word, _humiliation_, ate away at Krew; he didn't like thinking about how Rayn thought he was always embarrassing her. He would show her that she didn't need to be ashamed to have him as a father.

"I was just saying," Krew said, "Well, we'll have plenty of stories to share at dinner time." Rayn and Jinx exchanged nervous glances, and Razer looked amused at all of this.

"What about the Bloody Hook?" Rayn whispered to Jinx and his brother.

"We'll still go tonight," Razer assured them, "No worries."

"We've got to ditch Mr. Krew first," Jinx whispered in response, "So we can have a real holiday party."

* * *

Keira laid on Ashelin's bed while she waited for her friend to return from the hospital. She had been there to visit Torn hours ago, and now, she was turning the Christmas lights in Ashelin's room on and off out of boredom. She hadn't seen or spoken to her father in three days, and by now, she was feeling bad about what she had said. Deep down, she knew she didn't mean it, but she was so angry that her fiery temper had taken over.

Suddenly, the door opened up ahead, and Ashelin entered the room. "Ash!" Keira exclaimed, "You're back! How's Torn?"

"Doing better, thanks. Listen, Jak and Daxter are downstairs. Jak wants to talk to you."

"Really?" Keira asked, "Great! I'll be right back!" She was so excited to see her friend that she barely noticed the way Ashelin was staring at her. She bounded down the stairs two at a time, the Krimzon Guards clearing a path for her, and she stepped into the living room. Sitting in a chair by the fireplace was not Jak, but her father, Samos. She stopped in her tracks as he sat, depressed, in the chair, and the blue bird that was always on top of his head tried to cheer him up. She felt her stomach twist in guilt even more. As soon as he sensed her presence in the room, however, Samos leaped out of the chair, startling the bird.

"Keira!" he cried, "I've been worried out of my mind about you for the last three days! Where have you been?"

"I've been here the whole time," she replied, folding her arms and not letting her guard down yet, "Ashelin set this up, didn't she?"

"It doesn't matter. We're going home right this instant, young lady! And you're grounded!"

Keira narrowed her green eyes. "What if I don't want to go home?" she asked in a rebellious tone of voice.

Samos looked as if he was about to blow a fuse; it never took too much for him to lose his cool. "That is out of the question!" he snapped, "You don't know how worried I've been about you, when you just took off like that! Why would you do something like that?"

"That's just it!" Keira yelled, "You worry too much, Daddy! I'm not your little girl anymore! You can't protect me from everything in this world, no matter how much you want to! I have to face some danger head on!"

Samos backed off for a minute, taking in his daughter's words. He wasn't ready to give up this fight yet. Not by a long shot. "You just don't know," he replied in a slightly softer voice, "How hard this has all been for me. Ever since your mother…"

Keira uncrossed her arms at those words and felt her eyes widen once more. "I wasn't going to lose my only daughter the same way," her father choked, "You're all I have left. And to hear you say something like what you did three days ago…well, that breaks my heart. More than you think."

The Green Sage's daughter stopped frowning as she just listened to Samos. Samos sat back down in the armchair, and Keira moved forward to sit next to him.

"Daddy," she started softly, "I didn't know."

Samos shook his head. "It's been a tough seven years," he said, "I just want you to be safe and happy so that you can have a good life."

"But trying to shelter me from everything doesn't work, either. I have to grow up at some point."

"I know. But I guess…I guess I'm just not ready for that point yet."

Keira silently considered her father's words. She realized that she had been so angry that she only thought about herself in this situation. She hadn't considered that Samos had reasons for what he did. "Daddy," she said in a quiet voice, "I'm really sorry for what I said three days ago. I didn't mean it. I was just so angry that I wasn't thinking clearly."

Samos didn't reply at first, and Keira waited for his response. He kept he waiting for a few minutes, and she felt her guilt increase tenfold. "Oh, Keira," he responded, wrapping his arm around her shoulder, "You really didn't mean that?"

"Of course not. You're my father! How could I hate you?"

"You don't know how happy that makes me feel." Samos hugged his daughter, and even though they both knew things would be weird around the house for a while, they would get through it and repair their father-daughter relationship.

"And I'll…I'll try to be a little less overprotective," he said to her, "I'll just need to get over the fact that you're growing up."

"You'll get over it quickly," Keira assured him, "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you, too, Keira." Keira closed her eyes and hugged her father even tighter.

"Excuse me, Professor Hagai?" another familiar voice greeted, and Keira and Samos broke away for a minute to see Jak standing in the doorway. The gash from a few days ago was still there…and healing with Green Eco.

"Jak!" Keira and Samos both gasped at the same time.

"What are you doing here?" Keira asked, "And where did you get that gash from?"

"Jak," Samos repeated, "I'd like to apologize for hitting you three days ago."

Keira gasped. "You _hit _Jak?" she cried, but Jak waved her off.

"I was only angry and upset because of what happened," the Green Sage continued, "I was wrong to take it out on you."

"I was wondering why you did that," Jak replied, "But it's all right. I'm glad Keira's safe."

"Let me get this straight: you _hit Jak_?"

* * *

Later on in the night, Jinx, Rayn, and Razer quietly sneaked out of the house so that they could go to the Bloody Hook. "I can't believe I'm sneaking out of my own house," Razer muttered under his breath.

"Oh, you'll get over it," Jinx teased, "The Bloody Hook shouldn't be too far now."

The three of them walked down the street quietly until they arrived at the bar. As they entered, a few faces turned to stare at them (because of Razer's celebrity status), but other than that, everyone else left them alone. The three of them sat at the bar itself, where they watched the fish swim around in a tank. Razer ordered three beers for them, and they drank them while they took in the crowd around them.

"Let's go dance," Rayn whispered to Jinx, and the two of them hit the dance floor, where a few other people cheered them on. As Rayn looked into Jinx's handsome face, she finally realized what all the fuss over love was about. She leaned in and kissed him, making the crowd go wild as he returned it.

Just as things were getting hot and heavy, however, someone crashed through the door, making the music stop and everyone look up. "Hello, Bloody Hook!" Krew exclaimed, flying into the bar. _Oh, no, _Rayn thought.

"How is everyone doing tonight, eh?" the massive man continued, "I was wondering if you could tell me where my daughter is." His beady eyes shifted around the room until he spotted Rayn trying to hide behind Jinx and Razer.

"Ahh, there she is!" her father exclaimed, "Let's sing a song together. Like we used to!"

"Father, _no!_" Rayn snapped, but just as she did so, one of the bartenders threw a beer bottle at Krew.

"Oy! Get out of the Bloody Hook, _fat ass_!" he screamed with delight, and other people started joining in.

"Cutter!" Razer hissed, "You know better than that!"

"_Boo_!" the crowd roared, throwing more than just beer bottles at Rayn's father. Krew looked up and stared at her.

"Rayn!" he cried, "Do something for your old man!" But Rayn continued to remain where she was as she watched her father get humiliated in front of the whole crowd.

"They're about to throw him onto the streets!" Jinx whispered, "Where a race is taking place! If they push him onto the track…" He didn't finish.

Rayn stared at Krew again and realized she didn't want that to happen to him. She knew what she had to do. And she was going to do it. "Wait!" she cried at the top of her lungs. Everyone stopped for an instant.

"Sure, my father might be strange sometimes, but he doesn't deserve this!" she shouted, "He's my father! And I love him very much."

Cutter burst out laughing. "That tub of lard is _your _father?" he asked, surprised.

"Yes, he is!" Rayn declared, "And if you don't like it, then shut the hell up! I don't care what you think! And I don't care what any of you think! Let's go, guys." Rayn, Jinx, and Razer marched over to Krew, helped wipe some beer off of his face, and escorted him out of the Bloody Hook.

"Rayn," Krew whispered, smiling at his daughter, "Thank you."


	15. Christmas In Haven: Finale

All right! Here's the final part of "Christmas In Haven", which finishes this mini-story and brings in some new plot points for later chapters. I hoped you enjoyed this little Christmas special like I enjoyed writing it. I'd also like to thank everyone who has reviewed and supported this story as I've been writing it! Don't forget to read and review! And enjoy! :)

**DISCLAIMER: **Everything belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

"That was amazing back there, mmm?" Krew complimented his daughter as she, Jinx, and Razer helped him into the house.

Rayn sighed. "I couldn't let them just throw you out like that," she explained to him, "Even if you are a little…" She didn't finish.

Krew grinned tiredly. "You can say it," he encouraged her, "_Strange_." Rayn closed her eyes and winced.

"No," she said, "I was going to say…_unique_. Because that what makes you my father." She handed a towel to Krew, who continued to wipe the beer off his face while Jinx and Razer went to find him a clean set of clothes for the night.

"Rayn," Krew quipped, "This whole trip, and what I did tonight…it was just so that I could show you that you don't have to be embarrassed by me. Here or at Haven High." Rayn sighed again.

"I think I realized that after what happened back at the Bloody Hook," she replied, "I'm sorry I cut you off during this trip. You and the clones." Krew chuckled to himself.

"That's all I wanted to hear, eh?" he replied, "Now, give your old man a hug!" Rayn reached out and embraced her father, despite the fact that he smelled like beer and cigarettes.

"Mr. Krew?" Jinx asked, reentering the room with Razer, "Is there anything else you need?"

"No, Jinx," Krew answered, "I've got everything I want right here, mmm?" He smiled at Rayn, who grinned in return.

Later on that night, Jinx, Rayn, Razer, Krew, and the clones were all seated around a large table (with a special, customized chair for Krew, of course) and enjoying the meal Razer, Rayn, and Jinx had prepared. Rayn was sitting in between her boyfriend and her father, and she couldn't help but beam to herself; she had learned not to be embarrassed by her father, and she finally felt a sense of balance in her life.

"So, sugar," Jinx started, effectively breaking the silence, "Things are going to be different back in Haven, huh?"

"Yes," Rayn replied, taking his hand, "Very different. Merry Christmas, Jinx."

"Merry Christmas, Rayn."

"Merry Christmas to all of you!" Razer shouted after puffing on his cigarette and drinking another beer. Krew and Rayn smiled at each other again. Things would be different in Haven. They would see.

* * *

"All right, Wastelanders!" Damas announced, turning to Jak, Daxter, and the monks, "The holiday celebration may have gotten a little side-tracked, but it's not over yet! Jak, did you get the tree from Haven Forest?"

"Check," Jak replied, gesturing to the tree that Daxter was busy decorating.

"Seem, Kleiver, did you get the food?"

"Right here, mate!" Kleiver announced, proudly holding up plates of food, "I nicked it from the school cafeteria, I did."

"Good, good. Tonight, we're going to go through the city and announce the big celebration! Is everyone in his or her respective groups?"

"Yes, sir!"

Damas beamed. "Let's move out and spread some holiday cheer!" And with that, the monks exited out of the house to hang up fliers around Haven City.

Jak, Daxter, and Damas were getting ready to exit the house when a few voices caught their attention. "I hope you left your walking stick at home this time!" Keira said as she walked to Jak's house with Samos.

"You're never going to let me forget that, are you?" Samos asked.

"Nope!" his daughter answered, "I can't believe you hit Jak! What were you thinking?"

"I was just…not thinking clearly. But I apologized. That has to count for something." Jak and Daxter grinned at each other as they approached Keira and her father.

"Keira, Professor Hagai," Jak greeted, nodding at them, "What's going on?"

"We're here to help," Keira announced, beaming, "And I've convinced Daddy to make up for hitting you three days ago."

"Just a small bit," Samos added hurriedly, "Daxter can be my assistant again." Daxter groaned, but Jak poked him encouragingly.

"It won't be so bad," the Wastelander told him, "You're not cleaning beakers this time."

"I guess not," the ottsel replied, "Let's just get this over with." He hopped off of Jak's shoulders and went to crawl onto Samos's.

"You two go on," the Green Sage suggested, gesturing to Keira and Jak and smiling at his daughter. However, Jak looked into Samos's eyes enough that he realized that the Green Sage would never completely recover from the blow that Keira had inflicted. Her words had been that strong. _Hate _was just a strong emotion overall.

"Thanks, Daddy," Keira thanked him, "Don't hit anybody while I'm gone!"

"I'll try not to!" Samos replied, and Keira left with Jak while Samos went to talk to Damas, probably to apologize for hitting his son.

"So, how are things at home?" Jak asked, tuning out Daxter's complaining on having to help out the Green Sage.

Keira sighed. "I'm grounded," she answered, "The usual lecturing. 'What were you thinking?'" She imitated her father with that last question.

"He was just worried," Jak said, and Keira faced him next.

"How's your face?"

Jak absent-mindedly touched the gash on his cheek, which was still healing with Green Eco. "I've been through much worse than this. I'll be all right."

"So, did Tess call you? She said she had some idea that she wanted to do for the holidays."

"Yeah. She said to meet her in the Bazaar." And that's where the two of them walked to in silence, each of them throwing glances at the other one along the way. When they arrived in the square, they not only spotted Tess, but Ashelin as well.

"Great!" Tess cried, "You're here!"

"We told you we would be," Keira reminded her, "What's going on? Have you and Ash made up?"

The two of them glanced at each other. "Not exactly," the Baron's daughter replied, "But we're getting there."

"Anyway," Tess interrupted, "I've got the perfect plan for this holiday season. You know, to cheer everyone up. I've been building this in my spare time." She pulled out a small eco pistol.

"I built it in my Robotics class months ago," she explained, "If you shoot out all the colors of Eco at the same time, then they'll combine and form a star of Light Eco. That should get the crowd's attention!"

Jak, Keira, and Ashelin gasped. "You…can create Light Eco?" Jak asked in surprise, "But Dr. Vin said it was so rare!"

"He did," Tess agreed, "In its pure form. You know there's more than one way to create Light Eco." The others took in the pistol with wide eyes.

"If Veger ever got a hold of this," Ashelin gasped, but she didn't finish her sentence.

Tess frowned. "That's the part we have to be careful about," she continued, "Veger's been trying to find Light Eco for years. If he realized we created it from this simple machine, he would never leave us alone. We can't let this pistol fall into the wrong hands. I'll guard it for now, and I'll hide it as soon as the holiday feast is finished."

"And he doesn't know this method?" Jak asked dubiously.

Tess shook her head. "The man is insane," she replied, "He never thought of this. I've even tested out the pistol before, and trust me, it works."

"And your parents don't know a thing…" Keira gasped, and Tess glanced at her.

"Are you kidding?" she asked, "My parents are so oblivious that they think Veger is as great as the Precursors!"

"And we all know _that's _not true," Ashelin muttered under her breath, "But Tess, you better be careful with this pistol."

Tess glared at her. "I will be," she assured everyone, "Now, Torn should be out of the hospital tomorrow night, so the Wastelanders should initiate the celebration then."

"I'll let my Dad know," Jak announced.

"And we'll all be there, too," Keira assured him, "Have that pistol ready by tomorrow night, then."

Tess saluted. "I will!" she said to the others, "I've just got to find some eco and I'll be golden. Leave it all to me!"

* * *

_**The next night…**_

_This is going to be too easy, _Tess thought as she drove her Zoomer through the slums and near the Power Station. She knew that Dr. Vin would always have extra supplies of Eco around, and with his paranoid frame of mind, persuading him to give her a little bit of eco would be a piece of cake. Or so she thought.

She was climbing up the ramp to enter the Power Station when she suddenly heard voices. "What do you mean you cannot open the gate to Dead Town?" Principal Veger demanded, "You've been able to get it open in the past!"

"I-I told you!" Dr. Vin's eternally paranoid voice replied, "There's b-been a malfunction in the shield wall!" _A malfunction? _Tess thought, confused, _How can that be? _

"Get it fixed or else I will take away everything on your property!" Veger threatened, and Tess tried not to look shady as she watched Haven High's principal leave the tower of the Power Station. He threw her a scowl as he walked back down the ramp, and she quickly entered the Power Station, where she found Vin cowering by all the computers.

Knocking on the door first, she asked, "Dr. Vin?"

Vin gasped, jumped up, and whirled around to face Tess. "Oh, it's you, Tess," he sighed with relief, "W-what can I do for you?"

"My parents ran out of Eco," she replied, "And I realized that you had endless supplies of all four types. I was wondering if I could borrow a little bit of each for now. I'll repay you."

Vin squealed. "I-I don't know about this," he stammered, "W-what do you need it for?"

"Just so that my parents can get by."

As he scooped out a little bit of Red, Yellow, Blue, and Green Eco, Vin replied, "B-be careful with that. You cannot channel it like Jak."

"I will. Thank you, Dr. Vin," Tess thanked him, and she turned on her heels to leave as quickly as she could. When she arrived at home, she skirted right by her parents, who were speaking with some other members of her family and not even looking up to see that she had arrived home. Shaking her head, Tess headed upstairs, closed the door to her bedroom, and began carefully inserting the eco into its respective slots. As she fixed the Eco pistol, she thought about how her parents barely paid attention to her and didn't realize just how smart she really was. She was in a Robotics class, after all; one had to be really qualified in order to get accepted into that. She had worked her butt off at the Hip Hog Heaven Saloon as well, just so that she would have enough money in order to stay in the class.

_My parents don't care about anything outside of looking good on Haven City's magazines, _she thought, _Well, I'll show them. Once I'm ready to go public with what I've built, they'll see, even if I can't show them over the holidays. _

* * *

Jak's house was crowded with Wastelanders, as well as Jak's friends. Everyone was celebrating Torn's fast recovery and he was now joining the others as they danced to the loud music. Daxter had managed to put aside his animosity towards Samos for the time being and just enjoyed the taste of beer on his tongue. Because the holidays had turned out better than initially expected, the others decided to put aside their annoyance with Torn for getting drunk with Erol. They were just glad he was all right.

"Well, Jak!" Damas cried, ambling over to his son, "You did a good job. I knew all your friends would be over here!"

"Thanks for throwing this party, Mr. Damas!" Ashelin thanked him. The taller Wastelander nodded and walked back to talk to the monks, and Tess turned to the others.

"All right!" she announced, "I'm about to test it out." She walked out to the front of the house, and as Jak moved forward to follow them, he felt a hand stop him. He turned slightly and saw it was Keira, and she was wearing a smile on her face. As Jak looked into her eyes, he felt his stomach drop out from underneath him in a way he couldn't even imagine. Over the last few months, Keira Hagai had been there for him when nobody else was, and she was the first one to accept him despite his other side. And in return, Keira knew that deep in her heart, she was harboring some feelings for the Wastelander in front of us. He deserved a special gift on this holiday evening.

"Look," she whispered, pointing to something above their heads, "We're under a mistletoe."

Jak suddenly looked up and noticed the conveniently placed mistletoe above them. "Oh!" he gasped, "Well…um…happy holidays, Keira." To himself, he could practically hear Daxter's voice: _You can race against crazy Marauders and channel Dark Eco, but you can't tell a girl how you feel! Typical! _

"Happy holidays, Jak," Keira whispered, and before either one of them realized what was happening, they were subconsciously leaning in towards each other when a voice interrupted.

"Jak! Keira!" Daxter cried, running into the room and effectively interrupting the kiss, "You've got to come see this!"

Jak and Keira flew apart, met Daxter's mischievous grin, and followed him outside, where Tess's pistol had performed its magic. A star of Light Eco brightened the sky, and everyone in the vicinity stopped to admire it as Tess surreptitiously stashed the pistol in her pocket. The questions erupting from the citizens' mouths were all the same: "Light Eco? But it's so rare!" "Who created Light Eco?" "Is that in its pure form?"

"Happy holidays, everyone!" Tess cried as she, Torn, Ashelin, Keira, Jak, and Daxter all held hands and admired the rare appearance of Light Eco in the sky.

* * *

The blinding light from the Light Eco star flooded into Erol's hospital room, and he wondered how the hell that happened. Once again, his parents hadn't come to visit him after the Zoomer accident. _They're probably out drinking themselves to sleep, _he thought bitterly, _Happy holidays, huh? _

Suddenly, the door leading into his room opened, and when Erol turned, he saw none other than Principal Veger. "What are you doing here?" the redhead asked tiredly. He was not in the mood for a lecture; he needed to sleep.

Veger sat on the edge of the bed. "I'm disappointed in you," he started, "You couldn't get Torn to tell us anything about Jak."

Erol sighed. "I thought you were taking a break from that," he snapped, "Because of the holidays."

"That doesn't stop me from plotting on the side. You were so close to Torn! But you had to let your home issues get in the way!"

Erol narrowed his eyes; he resented anybody who tried to trivialize his problems, especially someone who was supposed to be on his side. Torn had already done that a few days ago, and he didn't need it from Veger. "I was feeling depressed that day," he said matter-of-factly, "I wasn't thinking about anything else."

"Well, forget about them for now. There's a Light Eco star outside, and we've got to find out where it's coming from. When Haven High is back in session, we will resume our war against Jak."

Erol knew how obsessed Veger was with finding Light Eco, but to be honest, he really didn't care about that at this point; he just wanted Jak out of the picture. "Yes, Principal Veger," was all he said as he closed his eyes to sleep, trying to block out his home life and all the happy citizens of Haven City while they sang sappy Christmas carols. _Happy holidays, indeed, _he thought angrily.


	16. Welcome Back!

I'm back with the next chapter of "Haven High School: Senior Year"! Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, and supported this story! I've been having a blast writing it! I'm going away for a few days next week, so there probably won't be anymore updates until I'm back, but in the meantime, read, review, and enjoy! :)

**DISCLAIMER: **Everything belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

The holidays were over. Christmas decorations were strewn all through the streets of Haven City, and everything was quiet, a first for the city. Baron Praxis's robots swept the streets, cleaning everything up over the next week. The Light Eco star Tess had created still shined in the sky, leaving many, especially Veger, to wonder where it had appeared from.

A few days after the celebrations ended, Veger went to visit Erol in the hospital again, where his parents were just leaving his hospital room. They gave Veger a nasty look as he walked by. Shrugging it off, Haven High's principal entered the redhead's room, where he was gazing out the window and down into the streets. "Good afternoon, Erol," Veger greeted smoothly, "How are you feeling?"

Erol sighed irritably; he knew it was rude, but he couldn't help it. "I'm supposed to be out of here in two days," he replied.

Veger beamed. "Good!" he exclaimed, "Just in time to return to school! I'm going to resume my crusade against Jak. If you can find anyone else, like I've been telling you, then that will be great." Erol closed his eyes and gritted his teeth.

"I'll try," he answered, "But nobody will want to join. Jak has a lot of friends." _Yeah, my friends, _he thought to himself.

"Haven't I already promised Keira to you?" Veger asked, "You want her back, and I'll get her for you." _And now he thinks he has a sick claim on us. Whatever. I'll do it, anyway._

"All right," Erol sighed. _Bring on the drama, _he thought to himself.

* * *

Just like the first day of the school year, all the Zoomers parked outside of Haven High, and the students began walking to first period. This time, Damas let Jak and Daxter take the Zoomer on their own, and they met up with all of their friends again.

"It's so weird being back here," Jak commented to Daxter, "After all the drama over the break."

"Well, Jak," the ottsel replied, "We've been through much weirder than this! Although," he wagged his eyebrows at the blond Wastelander, "I saw you trying to smooch old greenie's daughter! What's going on there?"

Jak blushed, a rare occurrence for him. "Nothing," he denied, though the ottsel knew better.

"And speaking of Keira Hagai," Daxter muttered, for approaching the school now were Keira and Samos. Jak could sense how awkward things still were between them, but it didn't stop them from riding to school together. Keira said goodbye to her father and approached Jak and Daxter.

"Hey," Jak greeted, "How are you?"

"I'm still grounded," Keira replied, "And things are still weird, but we'll manage. I've been making progress on my vehicle project."

"Will you ever tell us what it is?"

"Not until I'm finished." Keira smiled, and the trio went to meet the rest of their group. Ashelin and Torn were acting neutral towards each other, but Ashelin and Tess seemed to have made amends over the break. Rayn and Jinx were cuddling next to them.

"Well, well," a cruel voice greeted, and everyone turned to see Principal Veger with Erol in tow, "The whole group is here. Don't think I've forgotten my crusade against you, Jak." Jak balled his hands into a fist, trying hard not to transform into Dark Jak again. One time in front of everyone had been enough.

"Anyway, I'll see most of you in Physics." He smirked, waved, and then left. Erol just glared at all of them before moving on as well.

"What a lovely human being," Jinx commented sarcastically, sending everyone, even Jak, into fits of laughter.

"Yeah," Torn replied, "Just what we need at this time of morning. Let's go to Physics." Torn, Ashelin, Keira, Jak, and Daxter waved goodbye to the others and proceeded to Dr. Vin's class. Their Physics professor was a nervous wreck, like always, especially when Veger entered the room. The group remembered what Tess had told them over the break: how Veger had threatened to appropriate all of Dr. Vin's belongings unless he figured out how to open the Shield Wall leading to Dead Town again. What was in Dead Town that was so important?

"It's nothing but a bunch of ruins," Keira explained to the others, "Daddy took me out there once. There isn't anything there."

From where he was standing in the front, Vin overheard Keira, turned around, and scolded, "P-please don't t-talk about Dead Town, Miss Hagai."

"Sorry," Keira mumbled in apology, and Vin's stammering only confirmed Tess's story.

"We'll be talking about centripetal forces dealing with Blue Eco today!" Vin chirped, writing all sort of equations on the blackboard. As everyone took silent notes, Jak snuck glances at Veger and Erol, who were sitting together. What were they thinking about? Why was Erol going along with this? _They're waiting for me to channel Blue Eco again, _he realized to himself, _There's no lab today. Thank Mar! _

"Excuse me, Dr. Vin," Veger suddenly spoke up, much to the shock of the students, "But I have a question."

Even Vin was shocked. "E-excuse me?" he stammered, surprised.

"I said I have a question." Veger stood up.

"If you were able to take some of this Blue Eco and apply this Physics to it, would you be able to fix the Shield Wall?"

Jak and his friends all glanced at each other; they didn't think Veger would so bold as to ask that question here..in class.

"Something's wrong with the Shield Wall?" someone in the back asked.

"No, no, no," Veger insisted, "Nothing's wrong with it. It just needs some…repairs." He shot a glance at Vin which only Jak and Daxter caught.

"But if we don't fix it soon, the Metal Heads could invade!" the same person protested.

"_Silence!_" Veger snapped, banging his staff onto the floor and making everyone jump in his or her seats, "I am the principal of this school, and I have a right to ask questions." The frightened teen in the back didn't say anymore words after that.

"Anyway," the principal huffed, turning back to Vin, "Do you have an answer for this, _Dr. Vin_?"

Vin glanced nervously from the class to Veger. "Not at the present time," he answered, "Now, c-can I get back to my lesson?"

"Very well," Veger relented, "But I will not stop visiting this class until you have an answer." He grinned at Jak as he sat down again.

* * *

"All right, it's official," Keira announced as she, Jak, Daxter, and Ashelin all sat together during their break, "Veger has gone off the deep end."

"That's an understatement," Ashelin conceded, "He's losing his mind. Poor Dr. Vin. I feel sorry for him."

"So do I. He knows how paranoid Dr. Vin is."

"Hence why he's using every opportunity to scare him like that."

Jak rested his face in his hands. "We need to come up with a plan," he announced, "One of us should get closer to Veger and Dr. Vin, so we can see what's going on."

"Veger won't be an issue," Ashelin said, "He's good friends with my father, so I can spy on him like that."

Jak nodded. "And Dr. Vin?" Daxter asked.

"Tess should be the one to do that," Keira piped up, "She's in his Robotics class, too, and she did make you-know-what after all." She was referring to the special Eco pistol that was safely tucked away in Tess's room.

At the sound of Tess's name, Daxter felt his stomach turn. "Sounds like an a-okay plan!" he chirped happily, giving Keira the thumbs up sign. The Green Sage's daughter giggled.

"So in other news," Keira quipped, "Did you and Torn make up yet, Ash?"

Ashelin sighed. "We talked for the rest of the break. You know, after all the drama that happened, and we're getting there."

"Looks like you two weren't the only ones getting some action over the holidays!" Daxter piped up, glancing at Keira and Jak.

"_Daxter_!" Jak mumbled, both his and Keira's cheeks turning red. Ashelin raised one of her eyebrows and smiled.

"What?" she asked, "Did you two…_kiss_?"

"Daxter interrupted before we could!" Keira answered, the blush deepening on her face. This was getting awkward now, but there was nothing either one of them could do about it. _Thanks a lot, Daxter, _Jak thought to himself, reminding himself to tell his friend off later.

Ashelin just nodded, and she knew she would have to ask Keira about it later, for out of the corner of their eyes, they could see Veger prowling around the common area, trying to eavesdrop on their conversation.

Three minutes later, the group saw Torn approaching them. "Hey, guys!" greeted, "What's up?"

"Plotting a way to spy on Veger and Dr. Vin," Daxter piped up, "What's going on with you, Tattooed Wonder?"

Torn chuckled. "I just got out of Biology," he explained, "And I have news about the Tri-City racing championship." Jak was all ears.

"It's taking place in the spring, and our first race is against Spargus City."

"No way," Jak replied, "My hometown. The Marauders are going to love that. I used to race against them all the time." He laughed sharply, which died down at his next question.

"Does Erol know I signed up?" he asked.

Torn shook his head. "No," he replied, "And if he finds out, then so be it. We know how to handle him." Jak nodded, suddenly feeling a wave of homesickness he had never felt before. After all the drama he was dealing with, he missed Spargus.

The auburn-haired boy then turned to face Ashelin. "Ashelin," he greeted.

"Torn," she replied.

"How's it going?"

"Just fine, thanks." Keira, Jak, and Daxter glanced at each other and rolled their eyes. This was so typical of Torn and Ashelin.

"So, I'll see you at lunch later?" Torn asked. Ashelin nodded, and Torn nodded as well and left.

"I thought you guys were getting there," Keira asked.

"We are," Ashelin insisted, and the others chuckled.

* * *

Meanwhile, in her Robotics class, Tess continued to work on her latest project: building a less lethal version of a Vulcan Fury. She had a jar of Blue Eco next to her, and many other tools that came with building weapons. If she could build an Eco pistol that generated Light Eco, then everything else should have been a joke. She noticed that Dr. Vin was looking more jumpy than ever, and she wondered what was going on and why Vin was having everyone build guns instead of robots. Ashelin had sent her a text message explaining what had happened in Physics that morning, and she wondered if that had anything to do with this class. Throughout the period, Vin walked around, making minor corrections to some of the projects, but she noticed he was staring at her way more often, even though he never moved forward to ask about her Vulcan Fury.

Tess was even more surprised when Vin asked her to stay behind once the period was over. All the students cleaned up their lab tables and put everything back where it was. Tess resealed her jar of Blue Eco and locked it in her locker. Once everyone else was gone, she approached Vin. "You wanted to see me, Professor?" she asked.

Vin looked up at her. "Y-yes," he answered, "I have to ask you something." Tess held her breath.

"That night you borrowed Eco from me, did you…hear anything else?"

_That's what this is about? _Tess asked herself. She had heard Veger carrying on that night, but she wasn't sure what to say to her teacher. Instead, she just nodded cautiously, praying that he wouldn't freak out on her next.

Suddenly, Vin buried his face into his hands. "Oh, it's awful!" he whimpered, "Veger's been all over me over that stupid Shield Wall ever since it malfunctioned! I don't know what's in Dead Town that's so important to him! Nobody even goes out there, oh no! Not since…"

Tess's heart began to beat faster. "Not since what?" she asked breathlessly. Vin looked up again.

"Oh, I've said too much!" he huffed, "You should leave before I say anything I shouldn't, or else Veger will have my head! Go on! Bye bye!" Tess didn't waste another minute hanging around, and she was out of there faster than Jak could channel Blue Eco.

Once she was outside in the hallway, she caught her breath and wondered what that was all about. Vin was about to tell her something important, and she had to find out what it was. She couldn't tell her friends about it in school, so she sent out a mass text message telling all of them to meet her at her house. They would all try to solve this mystery together.


	17. Dinner and Career Day

I'm back with the next chapter of "Haven High"! I figured in this chapter, I would try to blend in the characters' normal lives along with the main mystery plot, so that's why the formatting is the way it is. Don't forget to read and review! :)

**DISCLAIMER: **Only Tess's parents, Deidre and Milo, are mine. Everyone else belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

"So, what do you guys think of this?" Tess asked the others as they lounged around Tess's living room later in the day. She had just finished telling them about what had happened in Robotics earlier that day, and they tried to make sense of everything while they ate chips and pretzels. Tess was rotating her Light Eco Pistol back and forth in her hands.

"I thought you were going to hide that!" Rayn cried, pointing to the gun. Tess scoffed.

"Please," she replied, "This is my own house. Nothing's going to happen!"

All the others glanced at each other; Tess was a good person, but sometimes, she could be a little bit impulsive. "What if your mom sees that?" Torn piped up.

"I told you, she and Dad don't pay attention to me."

Ashelin shook her head. _Keira and I's fathers are too overbearing, and Tess's don't even pay attention to her, _she thought, _Talk about two extremes. _

"Anyway, I'm going to get closer to Dr. Vin. He was about to tell me something important and then he stopped himself."

"And I'll see what Veger is up to," Ashelin decided, "My father always meets with him about small things."

For the next minute, nobody said a word, and the front door slamming shut made everyone jump. Tess quickly hid the Light Eco pistol as her mother, Diedre, entered the living room.

"Hello, darling!" she greeted, giving her daughter air kisses, "And hello to all of you as well!"

"Hello!" all of Tess's friends responded, waving slowly, and Deidre beamed, giving Jak the impression that she felt like she was more than she really was.

"Tess, my dear," Deidre continued in a haughty tone, "Have you forgotten what today is?"

"What's today?" Tess replied. Her mother huffed and placed her hands on her hips, clearly annoyed that Tess had forgotten.

"We're to have dinner with your father's boss in the Port tonight!" she explained, "Get dressed so we can go!"

Tess glanced from her mother to her friends, who were giving her looks that clearly said, _Try and get out of it. _"Oh!" she gasped, remembering, "Yeah, I completely forgot. But I can't go. I have plans with my friends already."

"Well, they'll have to wait!" Deidre snapped as if Jak and company weren't even sitting there, "This is a big opportunity for your father and we have to be there for him!"

"But Tess!" Keira piped up, "What about…you know…"

"I'm sorry, guys," Tess whispered, "We'll talk about it when I get back."

"Try to have fun, babe!" Daxter replied consolingly, trying to lighten the mood and make his crush feel better. Tess just smiled, and her friends got up to leave. Once the door closed, Tess reached for her pistol when her mother spoke again.

"Well, there's no time to lose," she sighed, "Let's go so we can meet your father."

"Was that really necessary, Mom?" Tess asked sullenly, "You didn't have to be rude to my friends. We were in the middle of something!"

"But _darling_!" Diedre whined, "What could be more important than _this_?"

_A lot, _Tess thought, but instead, she replied, "Nothing at all." She touched her Light Eco Pistol again before wrapping it in her sweater and carrying it to her room.

* * *

The sun set over the Port as Tess, Deidre, her father, Milo, and Principal Veger all ate dinner and talked. Tess was tense the whole time, and she hoped Veger would bring up the malfunctioning Shield Wall. Since Ashelin wasn't there to spy, she would take her friend's place for now. At the moment, Veger threw some dirty looks in Tess's direction, but her parents were so thrilled to be dining with Haven High's Principal that they didn't even notice.

"Ahh, there's Mr. Kaedan now!" Milo announced, waving a rather brutish-looking man over. Tess looked up as Kaedan sat down in the vacant seat next to her.

"Sorry I'm late," he apologized, "There was traffic in the Industrial Zone."

"Not to worry," Deidre assured him over a glass of wine, "We were just getting started discussing Tess's future."

Tess nearly spit out the water she was drinking. "My future?" she echoed.

"Your future," Deidre repeated, "I know you've always been interested in fashion, and Mr. Kaedan is here to give you the greatest job opportunity of your life. Isn't that right?"

_No, _Tess wanted to scream, _Yes, I like fashion, but that's not what I want as a career!_ Thinking about her pistol at home, she replied with a smile, "Of course, Mother." If Deidre and Milo were going to be fake, then so would she.

"I will be coming to your high school tomorrow to discuss post-high school options," Kaedan informed her, "But your parents thought to get your foot in the door for now."

Deidre shot an agitated glance at her daughter, expecting her to be on her knees thanking everyone at the table. But Tess was barely paying attention; instead, something else caught her eye: Vin walking down the street and staring at her and Veger. He was clearly worried about what was going on at the table.

"Tess?" Veger spoke up, "Is everything to your liking?"

Not taking her worried eyes off her Physics and Robotics teacher, Tess replied, "Yes. Thank you all for giving me this wonderful opportunity."

"That's my girl!" Milo boomed, laughing heartily, "Now, why don't we all pose for a picture? This will look good on the _Daily Haven_!" Tess groaned to herself as she, her parents, Kaedan, and Veger all posed for a picture, with Vin looking extremely paranoid the whole time.

Veger picked up on this as well. "Ugh, it's that annoying Physics professor again," he grumbled.

"You mean Dr. Vin?" Tess couldn't help but blurt out, "He's a very good teacher."

Veger scoffed. "He acts as if he is a ticking time bomb," he said in a snooty tone of voice, "If he doesn't get the Shield Wall for Dead Town running soon, I may have to fire him."

Tess caught her breath in shock. It was _that _serious?

"Let's not waste time talking about such frivolous nonsense," Deidre announced, waving her hand nonchalantly, "It's time to move on to the dessert."

"Cheers," Veger said, clicking his wine glass against everyone else's and smirking at Tess the whole time.

* * *

The next day at school, Keira spotted Jak and Daxter and ran over to them. "Hey!" she cried, "Did you two see the gym?"

Daxter shook his head. "No," he replied, "What's there?"

"That man Tess was telling us about earlier today! Mr. Kaedan! You have to see this, so come on!" She grabbed Jak's hand, making his heart flutter the whole time as she led him to the gym, where tables with different career paths greeted them. Kaedan was at one table while Baron Praxis was at another. Many of Haven High's students were running from table to table, grabbing brochures about the different job opportunities. The three of them noticed Erol hanging around the Baron's table for a little too long, so they decided to go over and investigate.

Upon noticing them, Erol turned to face them. "I might be the new face of the KG one of these days," he announced proudly, holding up the red helmet that was part of the KG uniform.

"You want to be a Krimzon Guard?" Jak asked, and Erol smirked.

"I wish I was one now," he mused, "Then I could lock you away for life. I might try out for the job." Laughing to himself, Erol walked away, but then turned around again.

"By the way, Eco Freak, if you haven't checked the wall over there, I suggest you do so." He walked away for good this time.

"Just ignore him, Jak," Daxter whispered into the Wastelander's ear, "Let's go look at some of the career tables." Jak and Keira turned to walk away, and the redhead looked disappointed at Jak's lack of anger.

The three of them moved up and down through the tables, meeting Kaedan and even some of the other Haven High teachers. All of them spoke for minutes at a stretch, explaining their jobs and trying to persuade the students into becoming interested. Jak had to admit that he wasn't sure what he wanted to do after he graduated from high school. Nothing here seemed to interest him, and he hoped there were more choices out there. Tess, Torn, Ashelin, Rayn, and Jinx were also in the gym as well, but they were on the other side, checking out the other tables. Like Jak, none of them knew what their lives would be like after Haven High, so the Wastelander was glad he wasn't the only one who was confused. This was just a confusing time of their lives in general.

Yet another surprise waited for Jak, Daxter, and Keira when they arrived at another table with two familiar faces.

"Jak!" Pecker cried, "Onin says it is good to see you again, and she is glad you have been staying out of trouble!" Onin waved her hands throughout this whole translation.

"You again!" Daxter snapped, "What other voodoo crap do you have to feed us today?"

"I was talking to Jak, rat boy!" Pecker replied in the same tone of voice, "Onin and I are here to persuade these students to become interested in the mystic side of life. A little magic. That's what this city needs!"

"Magic?" Keira repeated with wide eyes.

Pecker and Onin faced her. "Onin says that you have a very good future ahead of you," Pecker translated for the soothsayer next to him.

"And what about mine?" Jak asked.

"Yours is still shrouded in mystery and ambiguity. Only time will tell." Daxter was ready to reply when the two of them disappeared behind a curtain of blue smoke, leaving only the table they were advertising for.

"It wouldn't hurt to take some interest in this," Keira muttered, writing her name down on the signup sheet.

Meanwhile, as the three of them continued to look around (as well as block out Kaedan's incessant rambling), Jak found himself deep in thought over Onin's reading of his future. What did she mean that she wasn't sure of his outcome? Was that good or bad? He almost didn't want to think about it.

Jak looked up at the poster Erol was referring to before and was in for a surprise at its contents: a list of students wanting Jak expelled from Haven High. "Who put this up?" he demanded, startling nearly the entire student body. Nobody answered, but a quiet chuckle broke the silence. Jak, Daxter, and Keira whirled around to see Veger smiling and waving. He was standing next to Baron Praxis and Erol, who were also smiling wickedly.

"Real smooth, Principal _Vulgar_!" Daxter snapped in Jak's defense.

Veger puffed his chest up. "It's _Veger_!" he replied, "And I told you I wasn't finished with you, Jak. Not even Career Day can stop me from carrying out my mission."

"Maybe you should try a career in learning how to control yourself," Praxis piped up, grinning widely, "You could actually be normal."

That was it. Although he tried very hard to control himself, Jak couldn't help but transform rapidly into Dark Jak. Everyone in the gym screamed as Dark Eco radiated off of Jak's skin for a second time. Jak crouched down to the ground, looked around, and growled like a wild animal, all while Daxter and Keira tried to calm him down. This was the second time Keira had seen Dark Jak up close and personal, and she swallowed her slight shock. Veger merely smirked, enjoying the panic that was spreading throughout Haven High. Almost half the student body that wasn't acquainted with the Wastelander immediately rushed over to the list pinned to the wall in the corner. One by one, the students signed their names.

"Wait a minute," Keira muttered to herself, "Veger, Baron Praxis, Erol, the list, Career Day…" She turned back to the Principal, who was smiling smugly.

"Was Career Day a setup?" she demanded, "You knew the entire school would be here, didn't you? So you could expose Jak!"

"You are quite clever, Miss Hagai," Veger complimented, continuing to smile at her, "Now I've got the whole school on my side! And you and your friends won't be able to stop me!" He cautiously approached Jak, who was still transformed and growling at everyone in sight.

"Looks like you're outnumbered this time, Jak."


	18. Confessions and Tutoring

Here's the next chapter of "Haven High"! Similar to the Christmas Special, I'm making a mini-Valentine's Day special as well! Read, review, and enjoy! :)

**DISCLAIMER: **Only Torn's parents belong to me.

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************************************************_**Two weeks later…**_

Keira tipped a stack of papers onto Jak's coffee table as she sat down next to him and Daxter. In the kitchen, Damas was on the phone filing a complaint with the school board.

"My son has been harassed by Principal Veger nearly the whole year!" the Wastelander complained, "And Baron Praxis has been taking part in it!" He paused and listened to the person on the other end of the line, who had introduced himself as Dr. Osmo.

"What do you mean, there's nothing you can do about it?" Damas roared, "There's always something you can do. You can't investigate the Principal, or all the staff in that school?" There was more silence as Dr. Osmo said something else that the three teens couldn't hear.

"Don't tell me Veger owns the school!" Damas snapped, not meaning to sound unprofessional, even though he was angry beyond words, "That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard! You need to investigate the staff or else I'll file a lawsuit for harassment and suffering!" Jak's father hung up the phone as he fumed.

"Dad?" Jak asked, "What did they say this time?"

Damas sighed. "There's nothing they can do," he answered, "I've been on the phone with them for two weeks, and they told me Veger owns the school."

"He thinks he owns the school," Keira corrected.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, babe, but he just turned the entire school against us!" Daxter cried, "None of the staff will vouch for us! Unless you can convince old Grandpa Green to give us a favorable review…" He grinned, lightening up the mood immensely.

Keira's green eyes lit up. "He might for Jak," she joked, making the ottsel pout.

"I clean the beakers every other day after lab!" Daxter argued, "He should be on his knees groveling!"

Jak let out a laugh.

"Well, as a Wastelander," Damas declared, "I'm not going to give up this fight! I was not taught to back down and be a coward, and neither were you! Veger and Praxis will answer for this once and for all!"

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* * *

**_Two days later, when Jak and Daxter were finally allowed to return to Haven High after their second (and unfair) suspension, most of the student body steered clear of them, as if Dark Eco was glowing from the Wastelander's skin at that moment. Jak was so used to this reaction, even back in Spargus, that he no longer cared. His friends stuck by him, and Rayn and Jinx stayed close while they walked to Gym with Professor Krew and Sig. Jak took one look at Rayn and thought about how she hadn't liked him or Daxter when they had first arrived. Months later, she seemed to have warmed up to him finally, and was willing to drop her grudge against Daxter.

"You're late!" Sig snapped in his usual voice as the four of them entered the large gymnasium and spotted Krew eating a bag of potato chips.

"Oh, go easy on them, eh?" Krew mumbled, throwing a smile in his daughter's direction, "They're on time for most of the days." Sig shook his head, but his gaze softened when he glanced at Jak and Daxter.

"Anyway," he continued, "I know a lot of you will be competing in the Tri-City racing championships in the spring, and I've decided to try and train you now."

Jak, Daxter, Jinx, and Rayn glanced at each other, and then looked over at Erol, who was still unaware after all these months that Torn had gone behind his back and signed Jak up.

"Even though it's still too cold to go outside in the Gardens, I figured we could run a few laps around this gym. Let's move!" Everyone got up from the bleachers and began to jog around the gym, even though Sig approached Jak and Daxter.

"You two, on the sidelines!" he ordered, "Now!"

"What?" Daxter replied, "What did we do now?"

But Sig didn't answer. Instead, he sat Jak and Daxter down on the bleachers and stood in front of them. "Look, cherries," he sighed, using a much softer tone than he did for the entire year, "You both seem all right, and I don't like what Veger's doing to you."

Both the boys looked at each other, surprised. "You don't?" Jak asked.

"No. You see, I'm a Wastelander myself. I've been all over, but my roots are in Spargus, like yours."

"No!" Jak and Daxter gasped.

"And here we thought nobody had even been to Spargus, like we had!" the ottsel continued, "Though how come we never saw you around the city?"

"I moved a long time ago. I lived in Kras for a good number of years before finally settling down here. But I'm thinking of moving back to the desert. Everyone is so prejudiced here."

Jak and Daxter were surprised; they didn't think that Sig was allowed to force his personal beliefs on students, and here he was, doing exactly that. "Wow," Jak gasped, "I don't know what to say."

Sig smiled. "Don't say anything," he replied, "We've got a class to run! And a Principal to overthrow!"

And with renewed fervor, Jak and Daxter continued to run laps around the gym, knowing that at least one teacher was on their side.

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As Jak, Daxter, and Torn entered the cafeteria after Calculus, Jak noticed how crestfallen Torn looked. "What's the matter?" he asked.

Torn sighed and held up their recent Math test (which Jak would have to make up after being suspended). "A C minus?" Daxter gasped, "How did that happen?"

"I don't know," Torn mumbled, "But the teacher said I need to get my grades up or else I'll fail the course."

Suddenly, Jak and Daxter grinned at each other mischievously. "You know," Jak began slyly, "Ashelin's good at Calculus. She isn't in the same period as us, but she could help."

Torn faced his friends. "Do you know how awkward that would be?" he asked.

Daxter rolled his eyes. "It's been a month since the holidays," he added, "What Jak means to say is, get over your stupid fight already! We've got enough to worry about as it is."

"It wouldn't hurt to ask Ashelin for help," Jak said, grinning, and Torn rolled his eyes.

"All right, fine," he decided, "I'll ask her. But remind me to murder both of you later!"

The Wastelanders smiled to themselves after taking their lunch from Kleiver (who they had a newfound respect for after Christmas break) and approaching their table, where their friends were sitting already. To Torn's misfortune, the first one to turn around was Ashelin, who gave him a silent nod.

"Jak!" Tess cried, making room for the two boys, "Daxter! It's good to have you both back!"

"Honey, this school is boring without us!" Daxter replied, puffing his chest proudly, "And I know you all agree!"

Jak shook his head and closed his eyes. Sometimes, Daxter could be so full of himself, but he still liked his friend all the same.

"So, Ashelin," Torn began, clearing his throat, "I'm having a little bit of…trouble in Calculus. And I was wondering if you'd like to…tutor me." A faint blush crawled up his cheeks, causing Daxter to whistle.

Ashelin felt a small smile creep up on her face, though she tried to keep herself from laughing. "You want me to help you in Math?" she asked, "I suppose I can help you after school today. Your house after I'm finished with Biology?"

Torn knew why she was suggesting they go to his place: Baron Praxis. "Uhh, sure," he answered, "I'll meet you outside your classroom." Keira, Tess, and Rayn glanced at each other, as if they were thinking, Finally!

"Oh!" Tess suddenly gasped, "Did you guys hear the announcement this morning? There's going to be a Valentine's Day dance next month!"

"A dance?" Jak echoed cautiously.

"A dance!" Tess repeated happily, "Where you get to take someone you really like and hold them all night!"

Jak tried not to look over at Keira as he replied, "Sounds…completely nerve wracking."

Daxter rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, buddy!" he teased, "You can take out Wasteland Metal Heads with no problems, but a dance, on the other hand…"

"Don't say it!" Jak warned, pointing a finger at his friend, "Besides, it would be nice to get a break from our current situation."

The table was silent for a minute. "Yeah," Keira replied, "It would."

"Speaking of that," Jinx began from where he sat, "Did you guys hear anything new over the last two weeks?"

Ashelin shook her head. "No," she answered, "Father and Veger haven't been meeting all that much these days."

"And Dr. Vin hasn't said a word to me since that Robotics class," Tess added.

"Oh," Jinx said, "Maybe we don't have to worry about Dead Town, then."

"Maybe not."

* * *

Just as promised, after Biology was over, Ashelin and Torn were riding on Torn's Zoomer all the way back to his house. "Thanks, Ashelin," Torn thanked his girlfriend, "For deciding to help me out with this."

"No problem," Ashelin replied with a smirk on her face, "I needed to get out of that Palace anyway." Torn didn't say anything, but he continued to cruise along until they arrived at his house.

"Hello, Ashelin!" Ellen greeted, kissing Ashelin on both cheeks, "We haven't seen you in a while!"

"Oh, I've been busy around the city," Ashelin replied, laughing a little bit, "How have you been?"

"Just great, thanks!" Ron piped up, "Well, we'll leave you two to it, then!" Torn's parents waved and then disappeared, and Torn and Ashelin sat down on the couch, taking out their Calculus books, pencils, and calculators.

"Okay," Ashelin started, not looking at Torn, "What are you having trouble with?"

Torn showed her his most recent exam and asked, "Does this answer your question?"

Ashelin took the papers from him. "Derivatives and piece-wise defined functions," she muttered, "Here, I'll help you." And with that, she opened her textbook and began to explain derivatives and anti-derivatives until Torn was beginning to understand it, and by the time they got to piece-wise defined functions, he was feeling much better about his class overall.

"Torn!" Ashelin's sharp voice called out as the Baron's daughter waved her hand in front of Torn's face, "Hello? Stare anymore, and you'll burn a hole right through my face!"

Snapping back to reality, Torn blinked and looked down at Ashelin's calculator. "Sorry, Ash," he apologized, using her nickname, "Thanks for helping me out with this."

"It was the least I could do after all the drama we went through." She took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry for ignoring you for the last month," she told him. He shook his head.

"And I'm sorry for not telling you about your father earlier." He leaned in and kissed Ashelin by means of an apology, and Ashelin eagerly returned it. Both of them could practically hear Daxter's whistling in their heads, and they tried to block it out. They both decided they wouldn't tell anyone about their reconciliation. Not yet, anyway.

"Okay!" Ellen cried, effectively ruining the moment and making Torn and Ashelin fly apart, "Who's up for dinner?"

Both of them looking and feeling extremely flustered, Torn and Ashelin replied, "We are!"

Ellen winked, noticing how the two of them were all over each other minutes ago. "Well, I'll just order in tonight," she told them, "How about that?"

"Yes, please," Ashelin said, nodding, and Ellen walked away.

Torn looked down at his books. "I don't think I have any more questions," he assured his girlfriend, feeling his face go red, "Thanks again."

After kissing his cheek this time, Ashelin replied, "No problem."


	19. Love Games: Part One

All right! Here's Part One of my second "Haven High" special for Valentine's Day! I had a lot of fun with this chapter, and I hope you enjoy it, too! Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed this story! The support means a lot to me!

By the way, I've added a new poll to my profile to vote for your favorite couple in "Haven High"! If you want to vote, just click on my profile!

**DISCLAIMER: **Everyone belongs to Naughty Dog except my OC, Leila, who belongs to me.

_Italics- _Flashbacks

* * *

As the next month passed, it truly seemed like things were calming down as far as Veger's crusade went. In the Principal's eyes, he had won, but Jak and Daxter knew better. This fight wasn't over yet. Not by a long shot.

It was starting to snow in the city again as mid-February approached, and the one day Jak was feeling nervous about arrived. "Valentine's Day," he sighed, looking at the calendar Damas had hung up over the kitchen counter.

Daxter grinned to himself. "What's wrong, Jak?" he asked, trying not to laugh, "Afraid of asking a certain grouch's daughter to the dance?"

"No!" Jak insisted, blushing once more, even though he knew Daxter was right. Keira Hagai had been so nice to him during his time in Haven City, and she was the first one to support him after finding out his secret. _If you can take out Metal Heads, you can ask Keira to the dance, _he encouraged himself.

"Besides," Jak continued, glancing at his friend, "Don't you want to ask Tess? You've been talking about her for months."

Daxter froze where he was. "Buddy, that is _so _different!" he argued, "You know why I can't."

"With all the other strange things that happen in Haven City, that seems minor. You could sit on her shoulder the whole night."

Daxter still wasn't comfortable with asking Tess, so he just shrugged. "But if we don't do something," he replied, "We'll both be dateless for the dance!"

"I remember when I first took your mother to the dance back home," Damas piped up from the dining room, "That was the night I knew I was going to marry her."

* * *

_The lights in the Spargus High School gym dimmed until they glowed softly, and slow music began to play over the loud speakers. Seventeen-year-old Damas looked down at his girlfriend, Leila, and he noticed how the lights glowed around her head. Then again, she was channeling Light Eco, something she only did when she was truly happy about something. And she seemed pretty content in Damas's arms. Everyone else who was dancing around them was staring at the Light Eco around Leila, but the dynamic couple didn't care. _

_Damas gazed at Leila again and continued to think about how he had been dating her for a year now. There was just something special about their relationship, and he couldn't picture himself with anyone else. _

_"Leila?" Damas began, clearing his throat and gulping. Leila looked up through the glow of the Light Eco. _

_"Yes, Damas?" she asked, smiling a little bit. _

_The Wastelander tilted his head to the side and wondered how he would say those three words anybody wanted to hear. "I…I've been having a good time with you at the dance tonight," he told her, making the Light Eco around her glow even more, "And I…" _

_"Yes?" Leila pressed, looking up at her boyfriend and feeling her stomach drop out from underneath her. _

_"I love you." _

_Leila smiled warmly, and, after making the Light Eco glow even more, she replied, "I love you, too." And the two of them leaned in and kissed each other, Leila making the Light Eco glow around both of them. Everyone stared in awe at the Eco-channeler and the Wastelander, and some of them whispered, "Aww." _

_Damas and Leila broke away for air for a minute and just smiled at each other, each of them knowing deep down that they would spend the rest of their lives together. _

* * *

Damas was sighing nostalgically as he returned to the present after his flashback. He glanced at Jak and Daxter, who were just staring at him with blank looks in their eyes. "If Damas can romance a woman," Daxter mused, "Then so can we! Right, Jak?"

"I guess so," Jak replied, resting his head on the arm of his couch and thinking about Keira once more.

* * *

"Valentine's Day!" Tess sighed as she, Keira, Rayn, and Ashelin all sat together in Ashelin's room, "This is going to be so fun! We have to go to the dance! To take our minds off the drama!"

"Amen to that!" Ashelin declared, grinning, "I assume you're going with Jinx, Rayn?"

"Sure am!" Rayn answered, nodding her head, "He's picking me up at my house!"

"And Professor Krew is all right with that?"

"Ever since Christmas, things couldn't be any better for us."

"What about you, Ash?" Keira piped up, "How are things between you and Torn?"

Remembering her kiss with Torn during their tutoring session, the Baron's daughter replied, "We're working things out." She blushed a little bit, and Tess giggled.

"And you, Keira?" the blonde teenager asked, winking, "Are you going with Jak?"

The Green Sage's daughter widened her eyes in surprise, and Ashelin clucked in mock disapproval.

"Don't tell me we'll have to spell it out for you," she teased, "Jak definitely likes you. Christmas time, anyone?"

A deep shade of red crept up on Keira's cheeks. "We didn't actually kiss, though," she stammered, feeling flushed, "Daxter interrupted us."

"But he was still trying to kiss you," Tess added, grinning at the red coloring in her friend's face, "Look at your face! You like him!"

Keira squealed, grabbed one of Ashelin's pillows, and threw it at Tess. "I do not!" she yelled.

"Do too," Rayn said in her slight accent, "You're so flushed right now." Everyone laughed, and as soon as Keira quieted down, she took a deep breath.

"All right, you caught me," she finally sighed, "I like Jak. A lot."

"We knew it!" Tess cried in victory, and everyone laughed again.

"So, what are you guys going to do for the dance?" Rayn asked.

"I don't know," Keira answered, "I feel nervous just thinking about it."

"Don't be," Ashelin told her, "We'll all be there for you."

"Oh, Precursors," Tess suddenly prayed out loud, looking up at the ceiling, "Please let this event be drama-free."

"Hopefully it will be," Keira said, running her fingers across Ashelin's comforter.

* * *

"You made up with Ashelin?" Jinx asked excitedly as he and Torn stayed in the racing garage after school in order to check some of the Zoomers before next month's championship.

"Yes," Torn replied, "And I'm going to ask her to the dance at my first opportunity."

Jinx whistled. "I knew you two would make up," he said playfully.

"What about you and Rayn? What's going on there?"

"Oh, the usual. Her father's been really nice to me since the holidays. I'm going to ask Rayn soon, too. I'm sure she'll want to go."

"What do you think Erol's going to do?"

Jinx paused. "_Erol_?" he echoed, "Who gives a damn? He's not our friend anymore."

"Yeah, you're right. Let's get these Zoomers fixed up as much as we can. And then I'll ask Keira to take a look at them when it gets closer." The two of them continued to talk quietly, not realizing that Erol was outside, eavesdropping on their conversation.

Erol had his ears pressed against the door. He was just going to check on the racing Zoomers when he overheard his two ex-friends talking about the Valentine's Day dance. _Ugh, _he thought, rolling his hazel eyes, _Valentine's Day. I hate that holiday. _

"So speaking of Keira," he heard Jinx say from the other side, "I hear she's got the hots for Jak."

Torn laughed. "You think so?" he asked.

"I know so. Rayn told me about how they almost kissed over the holidays."

"I heard about that, too. Do you think Jak's going to ask her to the dance?"

"If he doesn't, I'll be shocked."

"They seem to really like each other. Maybe they'll even be the couple of the year if everyone gets over Jak's other side."

"Everybody's going to be in love at that dance. I don't think they'll care." _Nobody's going to care? _Erol thought incredulously, _I'm going to care! _

"We'll see what happens when that time comes." The two of them fell silent again, and Erol, not wanting to hear anymore, turned around and just decided to go home.

_Keira tried to kiss Jak? _He thought to himself, _When the hell did that happen? _He had to stop Jak from asking her to the dance if it was the last thing he did. Keira was _his_; nobody else could have her if he could help it.

Erol suddenly switched his course and decided to go straight to the Eco Freak's house. He was going to go back to his old bullying ways; he would try and scare Jak out of going near Keira.

The redhead didn't know how he found the Wastelander's house, but he soon spotted it, parked his Zoomer, and walked up to the door, ringing the doorbell on the side. It took a few minutes, but the door soon opened…with Jak and Daxter standing on the other side. "Hello, Eco Freak!" he greeted, smirking. Jak and Daxter glanced at each other and slammed the door in his face.

"That's not nice!" he shouted through the closed door, "It's snowing and I'm freezing my ass off!"

"Good!" Daxter snapped, "Let it freeze!"

But Jak opened the door again. "What do you want, Erol?" he snapped, "Are you here on Veger's account?"

Erol shook his head. "No," he answered, "I'm here because I don't want you to ask Keira to the dance."

Jak's eyes widened in surprise. "What makes you think I'm going to ask her to the dance?" he asked, "What I do is none of your business!"

"I have ears, Jak. I've heard things about you two. And I'm telling you now to back off for your own good. She's mine."

"She _was _yours," Jak corrected with a smirk.

"She's a human, not a racing trophy!" Daxter added.

"_Whatever_," Erol replied, waving his hand dismissively, "All I'm saying is that I don't want you two together."

Jak scoffed. "I need _your _permission?" he inquired, "You can forget it. You don't scare me."

Erol narrowed his eyes. "Look," he growled, "Back off or else I'll…I'll…"

"You'll what?" Jak pressed angrily, "Go running back to Veger in fear? You'll turn the whole city against me? Just try it." He glared at the redhead in front of him, turning his eyes black as if he was about to change into Dark Jak.

Erol remained silent for a minute, but he had to admit that Jak had a point: he didn't want to be afraid anymore. "I'm not going anywhere, Jak," he snapped, "I'm not going to run and hide behind Veger."

"Then you'll be here for the rest of your life!" Daxter chirped, "Have a good day!" He slammed the door in Erol's face once more. _That ottsel will be the first one to go, _he thought as he turned and walked back to his Zoomer, _He's so annoying._

The wind whipped his face as he cruised back through the Slums to his house. It just didn't seem fair that he had everything in the beginning of the year, only to lose it all after Jak and Daxter arrived. _Why the hell does Jak have to get the girl? _He thought, feeling completely resentful towards Jak, _Better yet, why does Keira like him? Keira. I need to talk to her. I'll call her as soon as I get home. I'm sure I remember her number. _

* * *

"I'm home!" Keira shouted as soon as she walked in the door later. Samos looked up from his indoor garden and smiled at his daughter. Things were just about back to normal now after the incident over the holidays.

"How were all your friends?" he asked, "Everything was all right today?"

"Oh, yeah," Keira replied, "More than all right. The dance is in a few days."

"Ahh, yes. _The dance. _I assume you want to go?"

"If that's okay." After Christmas break, Keira knew it would be fine. Her father had been less overprotective ever since their talk in Praxis Palace, and he seemed to trust her a lot more than he used to.

"You'll be with your friends," Samos said, "So you can go."

"Thanks, Daddy!" Keira exclaimed, hugging her father before going upstairs. Just as she was setting her book bag down and reaching for her prized wrench, the house phone rang, and she leaned over her bed and picked it up. "Hello?" she asked.

The person on the other end, however, was the last person she expected at this time of day. "Hi, Keira," her ex-boyfriend greeted, making her stomach tie up in knots.

"_Erol_?" she shrieked, shutting her bedroom door.

"I know," Erol replied with a weak chuckle, "Long time no talk. I figured this was still your number. Are you surprised?"

Oh, she was more than surprised. "Yeah," she stammered, "And annoyed! Why are you calling me?"

"I just wanted to see how you were doing. And wanted to know if you'd like to meet up with me in the Bazaar. We need to talk."

Keira laughed harshly. "Look, Erol," she began, "I broke up with you! Isn't that enough?"

"You never said why."

_He's got to be kidding me, _she thought to herself, _I'm not going to meet him. That would get his hopes up again. _"You want to know why?" she asked, "Because I saw you for who you really were: a lying, bullying _creep_! And I wasn't going to put up with that. Don't call me again or else I'll call the KG on you!" And before Erol could reply, she slammed the phone down.

"Who was that, Keira?" Samos asked, opening the door to her room and noticing the angry look on her face.

"Nobody, Daddy," she answered, feeling tears of fury prick her eyes. Samos could tell she wasn't in the mood to talk about it right now, but he knew she would come around eventually, so he just turned and left, pulling the door shut behind him.

Keira reached for her wrench and twirled it in her hands as she laid back on her bed and stared up at the ceiling. Next to her, her cell phone rang, and when she picked it up and checked the caller ID, she saw it was Jak. Normally, she would be falling all over herself answering the phone, but today, she wasn't in the mood. Hitting the ignore button, she gazed at the ceiling again and contemplated life.


	20. Love Games: Part Two

Well, here it is! Finally, chapter twenty of "Haven High" is up, and there's a lot of drama with it! Don't forget to read and review! :D Another thing- anybody know that song "Shark In the Water" by V.V. Brown? I was listening to that as I was writing this chapter, and I couldn't help but think about how much it applies to Erol in this story. This special will mostly be focusing on the Jak/Keira/Erol love triangle.

**DISCLAIMER: **Everything belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

"_Hey, it's Keira_," Keira's answering machine announced, "_Leave a message_!"

Jak took a deep breath as the machine beeped, cueing him to begin. "Hey, Keira. It's Jak," he began, "I was just calling to see how you were. I wanted to know if you'd like to meet me in the Gardens. I have something I want to ask you. When you get a minute, call back. Bye." He hung up and sighed again as Daxter grinned.

"So, are you going to ask her?" the ottsel asked, "Despite what Erol said?"

"I might as well take my chances," Jak replied, "Right? And since you won't ask Tess, I'll go ahead so that you can calm down a little bit."

Daxter exhaled loudly. In the meantime, he and Jak got a head start on their homework in order to take their minds off the other drama they were going through at present. Erol's visit was strange, and Daxter figured he had dated Keira at some point before their arrival.

"I'm not going to be the one to ask for sure," Jak declared when his friend brought up the question, "I'll just wait for Keira to call back."

Half an hour later, Jak's phone rang, and when he looked down, he saw it was Torn. "Hey, Torn," he greeted calmly, "How's it going?"

"I've made up with Ashelin!" his other best friend reported excitedly, "And I'm about to ask her to the dance!"

"Good for you!" Jak congratulated him.

"Thanks! What about you? Are you going to ask Keira?"

Jak paused for a minute before deciding not to tell his friend about Erol's visit. It would only worry everyone and they didn't need a repeat of Christmas. "I left her a message before," he explained, "So I'm waiting for her to get back."

"Good luck."

"Thanks." Jak hung up and continued on his English homework.

* * *

_**The next day…**_

_Don't call me again or else I'll call the KG on you! _If only she knew how much those words had hurt. Erol was staring up at the ceiling in his room as well as he filled a plastic cup with his parents' supply of whiskey. Of course, they didn't know about his drinking problem. Nobody did. Just like over Christmas, Erol was also pulling out last year's yearbook again and looking at the previous year's Valentine's Day pictures again. With a growl, he ripped the page out of the book, tore it in half, and then continued to destroy the picture of him and Keira together. For a while, he had contemplated on keeping it, but when it became clear that she didn't want anything to do with him, he didn't see the point in leaving the picture where it was. _I need to move on, _he told himself, _I need to try and get over her once and for all._ Mar knew that would be a difficult task.

When it sounded as if his parents were about to start fighting again, he leaped up from his bed, opened the window, and climbed out to the fire escape next to it. Even though it was illegal to climb down the ladders unless there was an emergency, he didn't care. Once he was back on the ground again, he began to wander through the city as he attempted to find a way to get over Keira once and for all.

Erol drove his Zoomer all the way to the Stadium section, where his love for racing directed him. The cheers from the Stadium reached his ears, and walking through the garages to the bleachers, he took a seat close to the front, where the Class Two Race was about to begin. He felt a grin form on his face at the thought of some of the racers attempting to pull stupid stunts on the race track.

After three red lights counted down, the race began, and the more aggressive the racers became, the more Erol was becoming fascinated. He hoped to create a racing team of his own one day, but with his current situation, that wasn't happening.

Suddenly, laughter interrupted his thoughts, and when he looked over, he got the surprise of his life: Ximon and Taryn were watching the race as well! There was a scar on Ximon's forehead from when he, Taryn, Erol, and Torn crashed their Zoomer over the holidays, and Taryn had a gauze pad over her arm, but other than that, the two of them looked in good spirits. "Dude!" Ximon cried upon noticing Erol, "Look who got out of the hospital!" Taryn looked up and waved at the redhead in surprise.

Erol nodded back. "I've been out since last month," he explained, "I didn't think I'd see you two again!"

"We've been enjoying the races and walking around town since I lost my license!" Ximon replied.

"And performing community service," Taryn added, tucking a lock of blue hair behind her ear, "How are you, Erol?"

Erol shrugged. "My life is hell," he sighed, "But all right. Are you two still together?"

"Sure are, dude!" Ximon announced proudly, wrapping his arm around Taryn, "And we're getting ready for the day of love!"

_Oh, great! _Erol thought bitterly, _Even they're celebrating Valentine's Day. Am I going to be the only one whose alone? _

"What about you?" Ximon continued, "Whose the lucky lady?"

Erol balled his hands into fists. He didn't _have _one. Jak had entered the picture and effectively changed that.

"Erol!" Ximon gasped, patting Erol on the shoulder, "Dude! You better get out there before they're all taken!"

"Are you sure you didn't hit your head too hard that night?" the redhead asked, scoffing.

"Nope! If Taryn and I can be happy, so can you!"

Although Erol wouldn't admit it, Ximon had a point. Maybe all Keira needed was a little…_persuasion_.

"You know, you've got a point," he said to Ximon and Taryn, "I owe you two!" He patted the surfer on the shoulder and left the Stadium before they announced the winner of the race.

Grabbing his Zoomer once more, he cruised through the Stadium section until he happened to drive near the gardens. Little did he know what he was about to encounter there.

* * *

"_Hey, Keira. It's Jak_," Jak's voice poured from Keira's answering machine, "_I was just calling to see how you were. I wanted to know if you'd like to meet me in the Gardens. I have something I want to ask you. When you get a minute, call back. Bye._"

That message was what woke Keira up after she had accidentally fallen asleep. Rubbing sleep out of her eyes, she sat up on her bed and glanced down at her phone, where the message from Jak was waiting. She felt guilty for ignoring him and decided not to let her past relationship with Erol get to her. She just hoped the brash captain of the racing team would behave himself over this holiday instead of getting drunk with their friends.

_So, Jak wants me to meet him in the Gardens, _she thought, _Why? _Grabbing her coat and scarf, she exited her house, climbed onto her Zoomer, and drove to the Garden district. Along the way, she passed Haven High, and stared at it with a sigh. How had things changed in one year?

"Keira!" Keira looked up and saw none other than Jak. He was standing by the ramp that led to Haven Forest and smiling as he waved to her. She grinned to herself, parked her Zoomer, and walked over to him.

"How'd you know I would come to see you?" she asked, laughing a little bit.

Jak shrugged. "I just had a feeling."

"Where's Daxter?"

"At home with Dad. He conveniently had to run some errands around the house." The two of them laughed.

"So, how are you?" the Wastelander asked a few minutes later.

After deciding not to mention Erol's phone call from earlier, Keira answered, "Fine, thanks. And you? What do you have to ask me?"

"Would you…like to go to the dance with me?" Jak asked immediately before he could back out of it.

Keira's mouth dropped open; out of all the potential questions to ask, that wasn't the one she expected. She was surprised and elated at the same time. "Go to the dance with you?" she echoed.

Jak chuckle nervously, and Keira could see that it had taken him quite a while to muster up the courage to drop this question on her. "Uhh, yeah," he replied, shuffling his weight back and forth in between his feet.

Keira couldn't help but smile to herself, as well as feel guilty for ignoring Jak the previous day. She had to admit it was rather cute to see this shy side of him, as opposed to the killing machine that was Dark Jak. He was so sweet that she barely gave the question a second thought.

"You know," she started, "I was going to ask you the same thing. Of course I'll go to the dance with you!"

Jak breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "You were going to ask me?" he inquired.

Keira nodded, fully grinning now. "Yes, I was," she said, leaning in to hug Jak, "This is going to be so much fun!"

Jak returned the hug affectionately, and he was glad Keira was here, regardless of how long it took her to answer him.

"All right," the Green Sage's daughter continued, "So for now, it's going to be you and me, Torn and Ashelin, and Jinx and Rayn. What about Daxter and Tess?"

Jak shrugged. "I don't know," he answered, "Dax feels really nervous about asking her."

"I'll talk to Tess, too, and see how she feels about this."

"That would be great, Keira. Thank you. For everything."

"No problem. I can't wait for this!" She initiated the hug this time, and as Jak wrapped his arms around her back, he looked up…and caught sight of Erol hiding in the bushes far away. He was holding a pair of binoculars up to his eyes and glowering at the two of them. His face was scrunched up in a frown, and he gave Jak the ultimate death glare. Turning away from Erol, Jak glanced back at Keira and smiled.

"Come on, let's go," he suggested, taking her hand in his, "Want me to walk you home?"

"All right," Keira replied cheerfully, even though she, too, noticed Erol in the corner, just before he got up and ran away from the two of them. She shot daggers at him, almost as if to say, _Mind your own business_! She was over him; she realized that now after falling asleep and doing some serious thinking. She had even taken advice from her father over this before meeting Jak.

Keira didn't live far from the Gardens, so the walk there was relatively short. By the time they got there, Jak said, "Thank you again. So, I'll see you at school tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow," Keira promised, her green eyes lighting up just before she unlocked her door and went back inside. As soon as she was gone, Jak let out a cheer of joy and pumped his fist into the air; he had conquered his fears! He couldn't wait to tell Daxter.

Walking the rest of the way, he wondered what Valentine's Day would have in store for him, and he figured that it probably wouldn't be as bad as he had initially thought it would be. Whistling to himself, he reached for the key to his front door and went inside, where he instantly found a note from Damas in Precursor lettering:

_Jak and Daxter,_

_I've gone out food shopping. I'll be back in a little while!_

_-Dad_

Jak put the note down, and as he took his coat off, he called out, "Hey, Dax! I asked Keira to the dance!"

Silence. That was unusual. He waited for a few minutes for one of his friend's usual comments, but after three minutes, there was still nothing.

"Dax?" he asked, roaming around the silent house, "Daxter? Are you here?" _He must have been here when Dad left_, he surmised to himself.

But when he walked upstairs to Daxter's room, where the ottsel usually rested, he found that nobody was there. "Daxter?" he cried with a little more panic in his voice.

"_Daxter_? This isn't funny! Are you here?" But Jak knew that even Daxter wouldn't pull a joke like this.

A sudden loud gust of wind drew Jak's attention to Daxter's room, and he noticed the window was open and a little snow had entered the room through the window sill. "Precursors!" Jak shouted in anger and worry, feeling himself change into Dark Jak for a split second. From the snow and dirt marks on Daxter's bed, he realized a scuffle had occurred, which made him even more worried.

"Keira!" he cried as soon as his friend picked up the phone, "Someone kidnapped Daxter!" Dark Jak struggled to resurface as he continued to panic.

"_What_?" Keira gasped, "How did that happen?"

"I don't know, but I'm going to kill the bastard that did this!"

"Let's go to the KG. They might be able to help."

"Knowing me, they won't. We've got to find him. Let's call the others! They can help!"

"I'm with Ashelin on the other line. I'll tell her. Meanwhile, we'll all meet over there. We've got to find out who did this."

"Thanks! I'll let Dad know!" Jak hung up, and the first person he called was Damas.

"Are you sure Daxter didn't just wander off?" Damas asked after his son told him what happened.

"No," Jak growled, "I can see the marks on his bed. Someone broke into the house!"

"I'm calling the KG. We've got to find him! Sit tight! I'm on my way!" He hung up.

_Who could have done this? _He thought as he anxiously paced around Daxter's room and waited for the others to arrive, _Hold on a minute… _

Downstairs, the door opened, and Damas, along with Keira, Ashelin, Tess, Torn, Rayn, and Jinx, entered the living room. As they sat down, Jak told the others who he thought was responsible. _So much for Valentine's Day being drama-free, _he thought, _Hang in there, Dax. We'll find you! _

* * *

"Man, this stinks worse than the Precursor crap in the desert!" Daxter whined as he tried moving around in the cage Erol had locked him in. As of now, the two of them were on their way back to Erol's house after the long struggle.

_And now, I'm about to enter Mr. Psycho's house! _The ottsel realized, _Where's Dark Jak when you need him?_


	21. Love Games: Part Three

Here's part three of "Love Games"! This chapter was really fun to write, and I have to admit I was inspired by the "Daxter" game for the PSP. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story! You guys rock!

**DISCLAIMER: **Everything belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

"Hey, Mr. Tall and Psychotic!" Daxter snapped from the cage as Erol reentered his apartment, "Can you let me out of this cage? A guy's gotta breathe, ya know!"

"Shut up!" Erol replied in the same tone of voice, hiding Daxter from his parents' view as he went upstairs. Naturally, they were still arguing, but the redhead was so used to it that he just didn't care at that point. Daxter instantly quieted down as he listened to the heated discussion between the two of them. What they were arguing about, the ottsel didn't know, but he did know that it bothered him. _Oh, Precursors! _Daxter thought, _I'm about to go into Erol's room! _

Erol continued to carry the cage into his bedroom until he shut the door behind them. Checking to make sure the door and windows were locked, he then slowly released Daxter from the small cage. The ottsel instantly scurried across the bed and tried to find a way out.

"You better let me out of here!" he shrieked, "Or I'll scratch you again! And I won't give you ointment for it!"

The redhead scowled. "Do you…_ever _stop talking?" he snapped, sitting down at his desk and folding his arms.

Daxter waved one of his paws in front of his face. "And do _you _ever stop _drinking_? It smells worse in here than it did in the bars in Spargus!" He scrunched his nose and then went crawling around the room.

"And what do we have here?" he asked, rummaging through Erol's belongings until he found his supply of whiskey. "Aha!" he cried.

"Put that down, you insolent _rat_!" Erol snapped, reaching across the bed and trying to grab Daxter, but the ottsel was too quick for him. Daxter held it up in the air and studied the dark liquid inside the bottle.

"Whiskey?" he asked, "That's the strong stuff, isn't it? I don't mind a good drink every now and then, but even this is too much for me!"

Erol sat back down and ran his hand through his red hair, but he didn't answer, which made the wheels turn in Daxter's head.

"Do you have a…you know…" Daxter started as he lowered his voice to a stage whisper, "A _drinking problem_?"

"What part of 'shut up' did you not understand? I brought you here to blackmail Jak."

Daxter glared at the redhead. "What 'horrible thing' did he do to you this time?" he inquired sarcastically.

"He asked Keira to the dance. And unless he backs out of taking her, you're staying with me."

_Great stink of the Precursors, _the ottsel thought. "You're not going to be able to stop him, ya know," he informed Erol, "So let me out of here and we'll pretend this never happened, right? Right?"

Erol fumed. "_No,_" he snarled, "Jak won't take Keira to the dance. I won't let him."

_Good luck with that, buddy, _Daxter thought to himself. While he prayed to the Precursors that Jak and the others would come and find him, he sat down on Erol's bed and continued to study the bottle of whiskey.

"Mind explaining this, then?" he asked, gesturing to the alcohol inside, "Is this what makes you get all mean and nasty?"

"I didn't bring you here to talk about me!"

But the ottsel wouldn't let up. "Listen, Erol!" he snapped, "You've been giving my boy Jak _hell _for the whole year! I deserve to know!"

Erol narrowed his eyes. "Fine," he relented, "Yes, I drink a lot. There. Are you happy now? I have a drinking problem! And nobody notices! Not my family or anyone else!"

For the first time in his life, Daxter was speechless. He honestly couldn't think of anything to say, not even a snarky comment like he always made. Instead, he remained silent as the fiery redhead continued and Daxter caught the slight smell of whiskey on his breath.

"Keira broke up with me last year, you and the Eco Freak stole all my friends, my parents are fighting, and nobody gives a damn! Not even Veger, who's _supposed _to care about us."

Still no words from Daxter. _Oh, Precursors, _the ottsel thought. "Whoa!" he cried, holding his paws up to his ears, "Too much information, buddy!"

"You asked, and I told you!"

"Well, Erol, I've only got one thing to say: _get some help_! And don't take everything out on me or Jak!"

Erol never thought he would confess his problems to _Daxter, _out of all people (well, ottsels), so it was strange hearing someone tell him to get help for the first time. "I've tried," he said, "But everyone brushes it off like it's nothing. Just listen to my parents, for Mar's sake!" He pushed the door open so that Daxter could hear the fighting that was taking place over nothing.

The ottsel had to admit that he felt the tiniest bit sorry for Erol. He knew that Jak felt the same way about his situation, but at least his friend wasn't as destructive. Taking a deep breath, Daxter walked out of the room and pressed his face in between the railings so that he could listen to everything. "We need to tell them," he decided, moving forward to go downstairs and also possibly try and find a way out of there. However, Erol snatched him up and dragged him back into the room again, locking the door behind them.

"No!" he shouted, "You can't tell anyone!"

Daxter shook his head. "You'll at least have to tell Jak!" he reasoned, "You need to apologize to him."

"He asked Keira to the dance! I'm not apologizing."

"All right, then. You asked for it!" And for a second, Erol worried about what Daxter would do next.

* * *

"You really think _Erol _kidnapped Daxter?" Keira asked as everyone sat together in Jak's living room. As the Wastelander had predicted, the Krimzon Guard was no help, so it was up to them to find their friend before the dance.

"I'm sure of it," Jak answered, stopping for a minute. Maybe it was time for him to tell everyone about the redhead's visit the previous day.

"Erol stopped by here yesterday," he explained to the others, "He told me not to take you to the dance." Keira paled. So _that _was why Erol had been acting suspicious in the Gardens earlier that day!

"Oh, Jak," she gasped, "I'm so sorry."

Damas shook his head. "You have nothing to worry about, young lady," he assured her, "This isn't your fault."

Keira looked up at the larger Wastelander. "Can I talk to you in private, Jak?" she asked quietly. Everyone else picked up on this, and following Damas, they all exited the room so that Keira and Jak could talk.

"I'm sorry it's come to this," she apologized, "I broke up with Erol last year. I saw how he treated some of the others that weren't his friends and wanted out. As Daddy would say, he was a 'hoodlum', so to speak. But I'm over him now. I promise." She decided not to tell him about the phone call from the previous day, though; that, in her opinion, was private.

Jak didn't know what to make of all this. He had never been in a love triangle quite this dramatic, so it was a lot to take in at once. "Keira," he started, blinking furiously.

"Yes, Jak?" the Green Sage's daughter asked.

"We shouldn't let Erol get in the way of what we want to do."

Keira knew Jak was right, but she still couldn't help but think about her ex-boyfriend's phone call from the previous day. She kept insisting to herself and everyone around her that she was over him, but maybe the two of them did need to talk so that they could each reach some closure over this situation.

"All right," she sighed, "Let's go find Daxter!"

* * *

Hours after Erol's huge revelation, Daxter swung his small feet over the side of the redhead's desk and began to wonder where Jak was and if he realized he was missing. _He had to by now, _the ottsel thought, his eyes shifting from the closed door to the window. Erol had temporarily left the room for a bathroom break, and Daxter saw this as his chance to escape. But first, he needed to make a phone call.

After looking around the desk, Daxter spotted Erol's cell phone, and even though he knew it was wrong, he still approached it, used all his strength to flip it open, and slowly dialed Jak's number. The phone rang a few times before the Wastelander answered it.

"I don't know how you got my number, Erol," Jak snarled as a crackling noise ensued, "But if you have Daxter, I swear to the Precursors that I'm going to kick your ass!"

_Uh oh, _Daxter thought, _Sounds like Jak is about to go Dark Jak any time now. _"Jak, it's me!" he whispered.

From the other end, Jak instantly calmed down. "Dax!" he gasped, "Thank the Precursors you're all right! How'd you get a hold of Erol's phone?"

"I'm stuck in the psycho's room, that's how, no thanks to you!" Jak knew that Daxter wasn't truly angry with him.

"Sorry about that," Jak apologized, "Just tell me where you are and I'll come get you."

"His house is in the slums, and you will not _believe _what I found out now!"

"The slums! All right! Hang tight, Dax! Keira and I are on our way!" Daxter hung up the phone and hopped over to the window to see if he could pry it open. Out of nowhere, something else crossed his mind as he felt around the window sill. _Tess, _he thought, _I wonder what she thinks of this. _

Suddenly, the door opened behind him, and Erol staggered back into the room, carrying the scent of vomit with him. "Got all that nasty whiskey out of your system?" Daxter asked.

Erol clutched his head. "Do you mind?" he snarled.

"I do mind!" Daxter piped up, "I mind a lot! Now, why are you so obsessed with Grandpa Green's daughter?"

"I'm not _obsessed _with her," the redhead insisted, but Daxter knew better.

"No," the ottsel replied, "You're only willing to ruin their friendship because you can't have her for yourself."

Erol sighed. "How does the Eco Freak put up with you on a daily basis?" he grumbled.

"Buddy," Daxter said, "Orange Lightning knows more than you think he does. And my boy Jak won't be too happy when he finds out what you did!"

Sure enough, both of them heard someone knocking on the front door down below. "Erol!" Jak's unmistakable voice snapped form the other side, "Open the door! And bring Daxter with you!"

Eyes widening in horror, Erol turned to face Daxter. "What did you _do_?" he demanded, "You got in touch with him?"

Daxter smirked. "Next time, don't leave me in a room by myself," he taunted in victory.

"You-" the redhead started, but didn't finish, for as he opened the door, he spotted not only Jak, but also Keira Hagai. _Oh great, _he thought, _This is going to be doubly awkward now. _

"Hey there, Jak!" Daxter greeted nonchalantly, "Keira. How's it hanging?"

"Daxter!" Jak replied, holding out his arm so that his friend could crawl onto his shoulder. As soon as the ottsel was situated, the Wastelander turned back to Erol and shoved him in the shoulder.

"Why the hell did you kidnap Daxter?" he demanded, "If you have a problem with me, take it up with me! But leave him out of it!"

Spitting at his rival, Erol narrowed his hazel eyes and replied, "You asked Keira to the dance after I told you not to."

"You didn't really think you were going to stop me, did you?"

"Jak…" Keira tried to butt in, but the two boys ignored her.

"You don't know what it's like to lose everything so quickly!" Erol argued, stepping outside and shutting the door behind him so that they wouldn't hear his parents, "Ever since you and your annoying _pet _showed up, you've done nothing but ruin everything! You took away my friends, and even my ex-girlfriend!" He pointed at Keira, who was glancing back and forth between the two of them.

Jak scoffed. "Really?" he replied, moving closer to lean into Erol's face and changing into Dark Jak slightly, "You don't think I know how that feels?" The day he acquired his Dark Jak powers flashed in his mind as he spoke.

At first, Erol couldn't believe that he and Jak were actually able to relate to each other about something, but then, he decided to settle this once and for all. Pushing Jak back with great force, he snapped, "Step away from Keira, and nobody will get hurt!"

Suddenly, Jak's eyes turned black, and both Daxter and Keira knew what was about to happen. "Jak, no!" she cried, stepping in between the two boys and using herself as a shield for Jak.

"Get out of the way, Keira!" Jak snapped, feeling Dark Jak slowly take over his mind, "He's been giving us hell for too long now!"

"I know," Keira replied fiercely, "Which is why _I _need to talk to him. It's me he has the problem with! Right?" She whirled around to face her ex-boyfriend and had to smile at the knowledge that she was right.

Erol was surprisingly calm as he nodded. "That's what I've been trying to tell you," he said to her, pressing his ears to the door and listening to make sure his parents were quieting down now. Satisfied, he opened the door and led Keira inside, where they could finally get this mess sorted out once and for all before the dance in two days.


	22. Love Games: Part Four

Hey, hey, hey! I've finally got the next chapter of "Haven High" up! Sorry for the long wait, but so much has been happening (including starting my classes this year, ahh!) that I couldn't work on this. But here it is! The final part of "Love Games" will be up as soon as possible! Thanks again for the reviews and support, guys! :)

PS- I'm thinking of doing either a spin-off or a prequel to this story, so I'm currently tossing some ideas around.

**DISCLAIMER: **Only Melanie and Samuel, Erol's parents, are mine. Everyone else belongs to Naughty Dog.

_Italics- _Flashbacks

* * *

"Well, Mom and Dad have fallen asleep, thank the Precursors," Erol announced, "Let's go in the kitchen." He took Keira by the hand as they crossed through the living room and into the back. Erol shut the door behind them, and they took their seats at the table.

Want something to drink?" the redhead asked, opening the refrigerator and pulling out a water, "It's not spiked, I promise."

Keira shook her head. "No, thanks," she declined, wondering why Erol was suddenly being a gentleman. Once he sat down, the conversation began, with both of them feeling awkward.

"So," she began, clearing her throat, "What's this all about? What's going on with you that you have to be so mean to Jak?"

Erol sighed. "You really want to know?" he asked in a skeptical tone of voice.

"Yes, I want to know!" Keira insisted, "Just give me a solid answer!"

"All right, then. You asked for it. I never got over you after we broke up! There, I said it!" He leaned back in his seat and threw his hands up in the air as the Green Sage's daughter widened her eyes in surprise. That was the last answer she expected to hear, as well as the blunt way her ex-boyfriend delivered it.

"You didn't?" she asked in a quieter voice, "But what about all those things you said last year? That we both had to separate and move on?"

Erol shook his head. "All lies," he answered simply, "You broke up with me so suddenly that I didn't know what to think."

Keira closed her eyes for a minute as she remembered that day like it was yesterday…

* * *

_"So, what's this all about?" Erol asked as he and Keira sat outside their favorite café in the Bazaar. _

_"Well," his girlfriend at the present time began, "I've been doing some thinking." _

_"About what?" _

_"About us." _

_The redhead smiled. "Really?" he asked, "So have I." _

_Keira was surprised. "You have?" she asked, but she didn't seem happy about it for some strange reason. _

_"Is something wrong?" Erol pressed, and that was when Keira decided to reveal her thoughts about their relationship. _

_"I hope this doesn't sound wrong or anything," she began timidly, twiddling her fingers in her lap, "But I think…I think we need to take a break from each other for a while." She looked away as soon as she finished explaining herself, leaving the captain of the racing team confused. _

_"A break?" he echoed, "As in, you breaking up with me? Why, Keira?" _

Precursors, _the mechanic thought to herself, _This is harder than I thought it would be. _"I don't know," she answered, "It's just that…something doesn't feel right anymore. I can't explain it." _

_"Maybe if you actually told me what was wrong, we could figure it out. We could make it work." He reached across the table to grab Keira's hand, but she pulled it away quickly. _

_"Don't," she choked, tears forming in her eyes, "It's just not working between us anymore. I mean, you've got the racing team, and I have my vehicles to tend to." _

_"That's not what the problem is at all and you know it! We've been able to get around it in the past!" _

_"Not this time. I'm sorry, Erol, but I can't do this anymore. It's not fair to you or me." _

_"You're still not saying why!" _

_"I've given you a reason already! I just don't feel something anymore." It pained Keira to say this, but she forced herself to, anyway. She couldn't look at Erol, who looked like he was about to cry himself. _

_"So that's it, then?" he asked, his voice breaking, "We're just going to break up and pretend like nothing ever happened? I guess you're right. I guess it is time for us to move on." _

_Now, Keira started to cry. "I'm sorry, Erol," she apologized in a quiet whisper. It killed her that to end like this, but there was no going back now. They had both made their decisions, and before the redhead could say anything else, Keira got up from her chair and fled the scene, leaving Erol alone so that he could contemplate what had just happened… _

* * *

As she returned to the present, Keira remembered how Tess had been the first person she had gone to for consolation. She always felt bad for the way she had ended things, and this current conversation was living proof of that. "Look," she sighed, "It shouldn't have ended that way, and I'm sorry, but-"

"You just got sick of me," Erol cut in, "You don't have to say it. I get that all the time."

"Erol," Keira started, exasperated, but she didn't know what to say after that.

"All right," she began again, "We need to just get our feelings out once and for all. You can't go on bullying Jak like this."

"I've told you how I felt already," Erol reminded her, "Now, it's your turn."

_Oh, Mar, this is going to be tough, _Keira thought to herself, _But I may as well shoot from the hip, since he already did. _"I don't have any feelings towards you anymore," she reported as honestly as possible.

_Way to be honest, Keira, _Erol thought sullenly to himself, but he knew that constantly obsessing over the Green Sage's daughter, as Daxter had smartly worded it, wasn't going to win her back, no matter how much he wanted it to. "Then I guess it's really over this time," he whispered, reaching for his racing mask he had stashed in one of the drawers in the kitchen. Keira remembered how much she hated that thing as she watched him slip it over his face, probably to hide his emotions. _I can't show her my face, _he thought to himself, watching as she got up tentatively from the table.

"Goodbye, Erol," the mechanic said in a soft voice, and after Erol nodded, she turned to leave.

"Keira," he called after her. She turned around.

"Yeah?"

"If things don't work out for you, I'll still be here." Of course, he was hoping things _wouldn't _work out, but there was no stopping his ex-girlfriend from walking out that door.

Keira nodded curtly and then stepped back out onto the streets, where Daxter was murmuring something in Jak's ear. They both looked up when they noticed their friend. "So, what happened?" Daxter asked.

Keira let out a sigh of relief. "It's over," she assured them, "We talked everything out, and I don't think we'll be getting any grief from him anymore." Jak nodded silently, and then the three of them walked back to Jak's house, where the others were still anxiously waiting for them.

"Jak! Daxter! Keira!" they cried, racing over to their friends and embracing them. Tess pushed her way through the crowd and, on impulse, took the ottsel into her arms.

"Daxter!" she cried again, "You're all right! I knew we would find you!"

As Daxter looked up at the blonde Robotics girl in front of him, he realized how much he really cared for her. Even better, she seemed to take quite a liking to him as well. During the time he was trapped in Erol's room, he had realized that if Jak could ask Keira to the dance, then he could surely get the courage to ask Tess. Not that it would go any further than friendship, of course, but he still decided that she deserved to have someone to spend the dance with.

"Will you go to the dance with me, Tess?" he asked right then and there, in front of everyone.

At first, Tess raised her eyebrows in surprise, but then, to the ottsel's relief, she broke out into a large grin. "Oh, _Daxter_!" she exclaimed, cuddling him in her arms, "Of course I'll go with you! You can sit on my shoulder all night, like you do with Jak!" Everyone chuckled, and Daxter sighed, smiling at his friends.

"Honey," he began, "You don't how long I've been waiting to ask you that!"

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door, and Damas decided he would go get it. While they waited for him to get back, Ashelin stood up and looked around at the others. "All right," she began, "So, how are we going to get to the dance in two days? Do you guys want to take a limo?"

"I thought that was for prom," Keira piped up.

"Who said we only had to use a limousine for senior prom?" the Baron's daughter asked, "It would be a nice way to enter the dance. Besides, there might be champagne in the back." She winked, making the others laugh again.

Jak looked around at the others and thought about how everything was set up. As of that moment, it was going to be him and Keira, Torn and Ashelin, Jinx and Rayn, and now Daxter and Tess. It seemed perfect. _At least Erol will behave himself now, _he thought, _I hope. _

Suddenly, Damas stormed back into the room with a frown on his face. "What's wrong, Mr. Damas?" Keira asked worriedly.

"_Now _the KG arrives!" the Wastelander spat, "After we _don't _need their help! If I can help it, I'm going to file a complaint about them! This city needs an overhaul!" Mar only knew what Jak's father meant by that.

* * *

After Keira left the kitchen, Erol removed his mask once more to see his parents sitting in front of him.

"Did the phone ring while we were sleeping?" his mother, Melanie, asked in a surprisingly calm voice.

"No," the redhead replied, placing his water bottle back in the refrigerator.

"Did anyone stop by the house?" his father, Samuel, pressed.

Erol shook his head. "No again," he lied, snatching the beer bottles out of his parents' hands. He wasn't ready to share his conversation with Keira just yet.

"Why'd you snatch those out of our hands?" Melanie demanded, to which Erol scoffed in disgust.

"Because these-" he gestured to the empty bottles, "-are what are tearing our family apart! I've lost everything at school already, and I'm not going to lose either of you the same way!" _That obnoxious ottsel is right, _he thought to himself, _I need to change. I need help. Especially if there's the slim chance that Keira will want me again. _

"What's wrong with enjoying a good drink or two?" Samuel asked, confused, to which Erol scoffed again.

"Do you two even _hear _yourselves sometimes?" he yelled, "The fighting has to stop! We need to change! Starting now!"

Then, his thoughts wandered to Jak, who he still hated with passion. _If you hurt Keira in any way, _he thought viciously, _I'm going to make you wish you never arrived in Haven City._


	23. Love Games: Finale

All right! Here's the final part of "Love Games"! Thank you to everyone who has read and supported this story as well! :) Sorry for the long wait, but there's been so much homework that I finally got to breathe and write this out! I had a lot of fun with this chapter, and I hope all of you enjoy it as well! :D By the way, in case anyone is wondering, don't worry. I'm not going to turn Erol into a good guy. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with him at this point, but making him be on the good side would be like making Lord Voldemort a saint, and that's not happening! XD

**DISCLAIMER: **Everything belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

_Two days later…_

All the items that were necessary were spread out on Tess's bed: eyeliner, blush, lipstick, mascara, etc. The blonde teenager raised some lipstick to her mouth and ran it across her lips, loving the dark red color it was giving her.

"Hey, Tess," Keira spoke up from next to her, "How does this color look on me?"

Tess turned to see Keira testing out some green eye shadow on her eyelids, and she nearly fell to the floor in shock. Keira Hagai had never been a fan of makeup, but ever since Jak arrived, some things had been changing in her friend. "Perfect!" Tess exclaimed, "Here, let me help you fix it up a little bit." And with that, she helped Keira with the rest of her face.

"So, are you okay?" she asked.

Keira turned to face her, and she nodded sagely. "I'm fine," she confirmed, "Trust me." She turned back to the mirror and adjusted the sea green dress she had picked up in a store in the Port earlier that day.

"Good," Tess quipped, "Because I wasn't about to let you feel down on yourself at the dance." As the two of them continued getting ready, Tess's phone rang, and she went to answer it.

"Hey, Ash!" she greeted happily, "Are you almost ready?"

"Yep," the Baron's daughter reported, "I'm here with Torn, Jinx, and Rayn, and we're going to pick up Jak and Daxter. We'll see you two in a little while!" She hung up, and Tess and Keira squealed in excitement.

"This is going to be one amazing night!" Keira exclaimed.

"That it is," her friend agreed, beaming.

* * *

"You look handsome, my son," Damas complimented, straightening Jak's black tie for him. He had to admit that Jak and Daxter looked well-groomed; Jak was wearing a tuxedo that he had inherited from his father, and Daxter had found a black pair of pants in the closet.

The young Wastelander took a deep breath. "Thank you, Dad," he replied, "I'm a little nervous, though."

"Ahh, don't sweat it, tough guy!" Daxter piped up, "We're going to knock that dance dead!"

_He's so confident about this_, Jak thought, gulping, _I just want things to go well with Keira._

_Beep beep!_ The sound of a car horn greeted the three men outside, and Damas peered out the living room window to see a stretch limousine waiting outside. "Well, there's the limo!" Jak's father announced, "You boys have fun now!"

"We will!" Daxter cried, "Bye, Damas!" And with a final wave, the two of them exited through the door and climbed into the limo, where Ashelin, Torn, Jinx, and Rayn were waiting. The four of them looked nice as well; Ashelin was wearing a dark, red dress that complimented her red hair, Torn had his auburn hair slicked back, and his dark blue suit fit him very well, Rayn wore a light blue halter gown, and Jinx, being Jinx, decided to go with a bright yellow outfit to reflect his personality.

Daxter whistled upon seeing the rest of his friends. "This is going to be a fun dance!" he said, "I can tell already!"

"Now it's time to pick up Tess and Keira," Rayn quipped, making Jak become even more nervous than he already was. The car ride to Tess's house seemed to take a long time, and he exhaled in relief when they finally pulled up outside of Daxter's crush's house near the Port.

After a polite tap from the car horn, the front door opened, and Tess and Keira stepped outside, with Keira in her green dress and Tess in a yellow gown, just like Jinx was in his yellow suit.

At first, Jak didn't know what to say; he had never seen Keira Hagai in any fancy outfits before, and he had to admit that she looked stunning tonight. He knew he had made the right choice in asking her to the dance; her beautiful appearance only accentuated her lovely personality.

From his shoulder, Daxter was also gaping at Tess, and feeling a little awkward at the same time. She had said he could sit on her shoulder during the night, but that was probably all that would happen. And so it begins, the ottsel thought to himself.

"Hey, everyone!" Tess greeted as she and Keira climbed into the limo, "Ready?"

"Ready when you are, babe!" Daxter joked in an attempt to relax in front of Tess. He was glad when she laughed and extended her arm, inviting him to climb onto her shoulder. He happily obliged.

"It's kind of weird not seeing Daxter on your shoulder," Keira whispered to Jak as they began cruising towards Haven High.

"Ahh, I'll get used to it," the Wastelander whispered back, "He seems pretty happy where he is now." Keira flicked her gaze to Tess and Daxter, where Tess was stroking the ottsel's head.

During the next twenty minutes or so, the eight of them immersed themselves into a long conversation, with Jak stealing glances at the Green Sage's daughter every now and then. _This is it, Jak_, he coaxed himself, _You can do this! You can survive one little dance if you can take out Metal Heads._

The limousine slowly rolled to a stop outside the gym, where other couples among Haven High's student body were entering through the back doors of the school. Nevertheless, everyone stopped and stared when Jak and his friends emerged from their ride. Torn and Ashelin held hands, Rayn and Jinx wrapped their arms around each other, Daxter rode on Tess's shoulder, and Jak and Keira also linked hands. The two of them got the most stares out of anyone, but like with Dark Jak, Jak just ignored the wide eyes; he was only there to have fun with his friends. Nothing more, nothing less.

Valentine's Day decorations surrounded the students on both sides, and once they actually entered the gym, they were taken aback at how much time was put into making sure the seniors of Haven High had a good time at the dance. A DJ dressed like the image of a Precursor was playing music in a corner of the room, and a concession stand was at the ready near the large stage. _This is so much more elaborate than back at home_, Jak reflected silently.

To his left, Ashelin and Torn were already hitting the dance floor with some of the other teenagers, and Rayn and Jinx were head banging to their own tune. "Let's go check out the food!" Tess cooed to Daxter.

"I hope it's something good!" the ottsel replied in agreement, and soon, they were gone as well, leaving Jak and Keira standing by themselves. At first, neither of them said anything to one another, Keira having flashbacks to last year's Valentine's Day dance, and Jak thinking about when Damas had taken Leila to his dance. He gulped once more, and Keira tapped her foot in sync with the music.

"Would you like to dance?" she heard Jak ask from next to her, and she gazed over at him as he extended his hand out to her. She faced him completely now and felt her face break out into a wide grin, her green eyes lighting up in pure happiness.

"I'd love to!" she exclaimed, and she placed her hand in Jak's, leading him into the crowd.

* * *

From the food table, Tess and Daxter watched as Jak and Keira slowly began to relax and enjoy themselves. "They're so cute together!" Tess cried, smiling, "Aren't they, Daxter?"

"And to think it took them both a long time to ask each other!" Daxter responded in agreement, "It's about time they had fun together!" Tess nodded, closing her eyes for a minute.

"Tess?" she suddenly heard the ottsel ask. She opened her eyes again and looked down at her date for the night.

"Yes?" she asked expectantly.

Daxter took a deep breath. "Do you…?" he started, but didn't finish.

Now, Tess was blinking. "Do I what?" she pressed, now curious as to what Daxter was trying to ask her.

_What? What's happening to me?_ Daxter wondered to himself, _Jak's the coward when it comes to this stuff, not me!_ He was trying to ask Tess if she liked him the way he liked her, but for some reason, he was chickening out.

But to his surprise, Tess began to shake her head as a knowing smile appeared across her face. "Oh, Daxter," she sighed, "Of course I like you! You're the most adorable ottsel I've ever seen!" She took him into her arms and began to cradle him slightly. She did indeed like him, but in a "cute pet" sort of way. Perhaps there was more, but she wasn't sure if there was at that moment.

Daxter's breathing became less anxiety-filled, and he closed his eyes in relief. This night was turning out to be better than he had originally thought it would be, given all the drama that had occurred. He was with Tess, and she liked him as well. _What a night!_ He thought, flicking his gaze to Torn and Ashelin next.

* * *

Not to anyone's surprise, Torn was panicking slightly as the music slowed down to a much more romantic tune. "Uhh, Ashelin?" he began, turning red a little bit, "I don't really dance."

"Oh, come on!" Ashelin teased, pulling her boyfriend in close to her, "I've seen you shake it before!"

Torn laughed. "Only a few times," he reasoned, but he found he was easily falling into step with the music anyway. After becoming more comfortable with the dance itself, he began to lead, sweeping the Baron's daughter across the floor in a rather intimate dance. He twirled her around, and she landed in his arms rather gracefully, dipping down to the floor before pulling herself back up again. Everyone who was around was watching them and couldn't believe that Torn was actually dancing! Ashelin Praxis seemed to bring out that side of him.

From the other side of the gym, Rayn and Jinx were taking a break for a minute. After dancing wildly to the fast music, they nearly had to sit out for the slower tunes. "Say, Jinx," Rayn began, leaning her head on her boyfriend's shoulder, "How did we first meet again?"

Jinx smirked. "During one of our meetings, sugar," he replied, winking at Krew's daughter, "I needed help with Physics, and you decided to bail me out of a tight mess. I've always liked you since then."

Rayn smiled to herself, remembering that day in their sophomore year. Ever since then, they had dubbed all the time they had spent together as "meetings".

"Well, I'm glad I decided to help you," she whispered, leaning in to kiss Jinx on the lips. At the same time, Torn and Ashelin were kissing as well, and Tess was cuddling Daxter. Once they were all finished showing their signs of affection, they turned to Jak and Keira, who were still slow dancing in the middle of the gymnasium.

* * *

"You know, Jak," Keira began softly, "You're not a bad dancer."

Jak smiled sheepishly. "Thank you," he replied, "You're pretty good yourself." He gently twirled her around until she ended up back in his arms again, with his hand conveniently on the small of her back. Keira gasped for a second, feeling warmth run through her veins at Jak's touch. Her heart began to race, and her breathing picked up a little bit as she turned around to face her date. She took in his kind face, his blond hair, his blue eyes, and the fact that the two of them were standing very closely together.

Jak swallowed, his heart beating faster as well. He couldn't believe how intimately he was dancing with Samos Hagai's daughter at the moment. She had been so nice to him about everything since he had arrived in Haven City, and he knew there was only one way he could thank her. "Keira?" he began.

"Yes, Jak?" Keira replied just as bright lights began to illuminate around them. And reminiscent of Damas's dance with Leila, Jak leaned in and kissed Keira on the lips.

_Whoa!_ Keira thought as Jak's mouth came in contact with hers, but as the seconds went on, she found herself eagerly returning the kiss, wrapping her arms around the Wastelander's neck while he claimed her waist. The lights continued to glow until the two of them were surrounded by it and nothing else. Everyone who was around stared at them, some of them muttering "Aww" to themselves at the romantic sight. Torn, Ashelin, Rayn, Jinx, Daxter, and Tess all watched them as well as they cheered to themselves. Daxter whistled, and he was glad he hadn't interrupted them this time.

As the slow music continued to play, Jak and Keira continued to kiss slowly until they had to break away for air. Both of them looked up and smiled at one another, and Keira laughed, her face feeling flushed. "I can't believe we just did that," she joked.

Jak grinned. "I can't believe we just did that, either," he agreed, "But it was perfect."

Keira nodded. "Yes, it was." She leaned in and pressed her lips to Jak's once more. This felt right, almost as natural as breathing, and the Green Sage's daughter knew she had made the right choice. Jak was the one for her.

"Thank you, Jak," she whispered, pulling away once more.

Jak shook his head this time. "No," he answered, "Thank you." Keira laughed, and they kissed again for a third time.

* * *

And watching over all of this from a distance was none other than Erol, who was standing by one of the emergency exits to the gym. He couldn't believe that his ex-girlfriend was kissing his rival, but he knew there was nothing he could do about it at the moment. _Let them enjoy their time now_, he told himself, _There will be other opportunities in the future_. And on that note, he turned and exited through the gym doors.

The first place he went to was a surreptitious building in the slums, but he was aware of what happened in there: Alcoholics Anonymous. _All right, Keira_, he thought to himself, _Here goes nothing. After this, you'll see how I've changed. You'll want me back_. And with that, he stepped through the door, shutting it behind him as the next adventure began.


	24. A Change in the Air

Okay! Here's a filler chapter for you guys, just to get you back into the swing of things at Haven High. Thank you all for reading and reviewing my story, and enjoy this chapter! :)

**DISCLAIMER: **Everything belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

"I see we have a new member who just walked in!" a blond man in the front of the AA room announced, and Erol wanted to retreat into the shadows once more. This man reminded him more of a sports commentator than someone in Alcoholics Anonymous. _Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, _he thought to himself.

"Why don't you come here and introduce yourself?" the man asked, and Erol gulped, slowly pushing his way through the crowd. He had been trying to deny that he had this problem for a long time, but after talking to Daxter two days ago, he realized he needed help. And he was going to get it now.

Along the way, the redhead realized he was one of the youngest, if not _the _youngest, person in the room that night. Climbing onto the stage, he took the microphone away from the blond man, who had introduced himself as GT Blitz, who was a recovering alcoholic himself. Looking into the crowd, Erol suddenly felt nervous again, but he was at least finally ready to acknowledge his problems. And in this room, there were others that were just like him.

"My name is Erol," he introduced himself, "And I'm an alcoholic."

"Hello, Erol," the audience replied in unison, while GT Blitz looked on in serious approval. _This is going to be a long night, _the racing captain thought to himself.

* * *

To the large group's surprise, the limo ride back to everyone's respective houses was quiet. Jak and Keira were still feeling flushed after kissing in the middle of the dance floor, but they both agreed that it was the right thing. Torn and Ashelin were taking a nap, resting their heads on each other's shoulders, while Jinx and Rayn did the same and Tess continued to hold Daxter in her arms.

Ashelin was the first one to get dropped off, followed by Torn, Tess, Rayn, and Jinx. "Thanks for the good night!" Jak exclaimed to the others, "See you tomorrow!"

"Good night, guys!" Ashelin called back, grinning at the remaining trio.

"Good night, Ash!" Keira said, smiling as the limousine continued to drive, arriving at the Green Sage's daughter's house next.

"Well, Jak," Keira piped up, gathering her purse in her hands, "Thank you. This was the best night of my life." She grinned, sending a chill down Jak's spine.

"Mine, too," he replied, feeling more content than ever. Not everyone in Haven City deemed him a monster; Keira and her friends proved that. Leaving Daxter in the limo, the Wastelander climbed out of the car and kissed Keira again. She wrapped her arms around his neck once more.

"Good night, Jak," she whispered, breaking away and heading towards her front door.

"Good night, Keira," he replied, waving. Keira grinned and entered her house, pulling the door shut behind her.

"Oh yeah!" Daxter cried once he and Jak were on their way once again, "You finally kissed Keira! We were all waiting for that to happen, you know!"

Jak sat back in his seat, thinking about how he had finally revealed his feelings for Keira. It was liberating in a way, and he was glad she knew. She deserved to know.

Suddenly, a whirring noise caught both boys' attentions. "What was that?" Daxter asked.

"I don't know," Jak answered, "But I'm going to check it out." Pressing a button on a panel in the back seat, the sun roof opened above their heads, and as Daxter asked the driver to stop for a minute, Jak climbed out into the cold night. Daxter followed suit, and what they saw surprised them.

"Isn't that the gate to Dead Town?" Jak asked the ottsel on his shoulder, "What's it doing?" The whirring was coming from the gate, which was trying to force itself open.

"Let's go check it out," Daxter whispered, and the two of them did so. As they got closer to the Shield Wall, it began to hiss, opening and closing much faster now.

"NO!" a voice snapped from behind them, "Don't go near that wall!"

"Dr. Vin?" Jak asked as he and Daxter turned around, "Is that you?"

"Oh!" the Physics teacher gasped, "It's you, Jak!"

At this, Daxter raised an eyebrow. "Were you expecting someone else, sack of nerves?" he asked in response, "Like Principal Vulgar?"

Vin actually _was _expecting someone else, but it wasn't Jak, Daxter, or Veger. "Ahh, n-no," he stammered, "It was nothing. What _are _you two doing here?"

"We saw this gate acting strange, so we decided to check it out," Jak explained, "Have you been able to fix it yet?"

"N-not yet," Vin said, "That's why I was here. If you don't mind, I'm going to look at it now. Bye bye!" Abandoning Jak and Daxter where they were, he moved closer to the vibrating Shield Wall, leaving the two Wastelanders more confused than ever.

"We should get home, big guy," Daxter whispered, "Or else Damas will be wondering what happened to us."

"You're right, Dax. Let's go." The two of them climbed back into the limo and drove away, but not before glancing at their Physics teacher again.

As soon as Jak and Daxter were out of sight, Vin stepped closer to the gate, extracted some tools from his pockets, and tweaked the gears a little bit until the wall stopped hissing. However, the gate was still open a little bit, but as it tried to give access to Dead Town, Vin reached into his back pocket and stared at a thick, brown envelope, where he had written "TESS" on the front.

* * *

The next morning, everyone stared at Jak and Keira as they walked down the hallway together. They were holding hands as a way to express that they were officially dating. "They'll get over it," Keira assured him as they moved on to Physics. Along the way, Principal Veger stopped them.

"Well," he sneered, "Isn't this sweet?" Jak frowned, but tried not to lose control in front of the mechanic next to him.

"We have to get to class," he replied in a low voice, but Veger merely laughed.

"You've forgotten that I'm joining you in Physics now, so I'll walk with you."

_No! _Jak and Keira thought as their good mood was officially ruined. "That's okay, Principal Veger," Keira reasoned, but the principal cut her off.

"I insist, Miss Hagai," he insisted, and he walked closely behind them. The two of them scowled at each other.

"We've got to do something about him," Keira whispered, and Jak nodded in agreement. Once they arrived at the classroom, they spotted Torn and Ashelin and immediately went to sit with them.

"So," Torn began, "What's going on?"

"We ran into Dr. Vin at the Dead Town gate last night," Daxter whispered so that Veger and Erol wouldn't hear them.

"_What_?" Ashelin hissed, "How? And why?"

Taking a deep breath, Jak and Daxter began to explain what happened after they dropped Keira off.

Torn shook his head. "This is getting crazier and crazier," he muttered, "Now what are we going to do?"

"S-Settle down, everyone!" Dr. Vin spoke up from the front, shooting a glance at Jak and Daxter before carrying on. However, before he could start the lesson (introduction to Blue Eco Electrostatics), Principal Veger interrupted him again.

"So," the maniac began, but to everyone's surprise, Vin frowned.

"This is my class, and my lecture!" he snapped, "I do not want to be interrupted!"

_Ooo, _all the students thought in their heads; never had they seen their Physics professor get like that. Even Veger looked taken aback before chuckling nervously to himself.

"I…apologize, Dr. Vin," he replied sheepishly, "Carry on. But I will be watching you." He flicked his gaze to the rest of the class, his eyes resting on Jak and Daxter. "All of you." Everyone settled back into the class as Vin began demonstrating experiments involving Blue Eco. Something was bothering him, and the others were determined to find out what.

* * *

Once the bell rang, Dr. Vin began packing up his things as all the students left. "D-don't forget to read Chapter Ten!" he shouted after them. Veger glared at him before taking off with Erol in tow. Once the classroom was empty, Vin reached into his briefcase and pulled out the envelope from last night. He had to give it to Tess soon; she knew some information from the time he had almost spilled the beans to her about Dead Town.

After traveling from the Physics room to the Robotics room, he met up with the rest of the class, Tess included, as they continued to work on their projects. Tess was nearly finished with her Vulcan Fury, so she was almost ready to move onto the next project.

Unfortunately, there was no opportune time to just "slip" her the contents of the envelope, so he had to sit back and wait for the class to end. Tess noticed he didn't say much for the entire period, but he did keep sending her glances as she patched up her Vulcan Fury. Her Blue Eco supply was running low, which pleased her; she was finished.

"Dr. Vin?" another student in the back asked, "Why are we building guns instead of robots?"

Vin looked up from his desk and gasped. "W-why?" he echoed. Tess glanced from him to the student who had spoken up.

"Because…" he trailed off before sighing and continuing again, "I've decided to change the course a little bit. Now, no more questions!" He sat down once more, looking even more agitated than ever, and Tess didn't speak for the rest of the period.

Once the bell rang, she got up and retreated to the lockers in the back, where everyone was packing up due to the end of the period. _Perfect! _Vin thought, getting up from his chair and slowly walking over to Tess's slightly open book bag. Whistling to himself, he glanced at her as she was packing up and sneakily dropped the envelope into her bag. _This should help her against Veger, _he thought, satisfied.


	25. Allegations and Revelations

Next chapter of "Haven High" is here! Thanks again for all the support! This chapter is centered around Tess and Vin, so read, review, and enjoy! :)

**DISCLAIMER: **Everything belongs to Naughty Dog except for Tess's parents, Deidre and Milo, who are my OCs.

_Italics- _Flashbacks

* * *

"I'm home!" Tess announced as she walked through the front door of her house after school later that day. As usual, Deidre and Milo were sitting on the living room couch and socializing with a bunch of elite Havenites. Deidre looked up, feebly waved her hand, and then continued to talk with her friends. _Whatever, _her daughter thought, racing upstairs and shutting the door behind her. Throwing her book bag onto her bed, she reached for a bag of chips and a water bottle before sitting down again to do her homework. But first…

Earlier that day, after Robotics, Tess noticed that her bag seemed a little heavier, and when she went to investigate, she spotted a brown envelope with her name on the front. Out of instinct, she had decided not to read it at school, but in the safety of her home instead. She hadn't told her friends about the envelope at lunch time, but she knew she would let them know what it was all about once she saw for herself. Lifting the mysterious package out of her bag, she felt herself fill up with questions: Who left this for her? Why her specifically? What was even in it?

Running her fingers carefully over the sealed envelope, she opened it to immediately find a note on top:

_Tess,_

_I-I know I'm not supposed to give information like this to you, but I feel it's necessary for our current situation. I began to tell you something about Dead Town last month, but stopped myself before I could. A-and of course, you heard what our awful principal said to me. Read everything in this envelope, b-but don't tell anyone I gave it to you, or else I-I'll kiss my job goodbye! _

The note wasn't signed, but Tess immediately knew who had written it. _Dr. Vin! _She realized, setting the note aside and peering into the envelope once more. Thick layers of paper greeted her, and she lifted them out carefully. What the papers revealed surprised her. Once she began looking through them, she couldn't stop until everything made much more sense to her. "By the Precursors!" she gasped.

* * *

"So let's get this straight," Daxter began as he, Jak, Keira, Torn, Ashelin, Jinx, and Rayn met up at Jak's house later, "That crazy loon of a principal thinks the _Precursors _are hidden in those old ruins?"

"According to these photographs, he does," Tess answered, passing them around the group. The pictures showed what Dead Town must have looked like before it became the ruins it was now, as well as Principal Veger doing research on the legendary Precursors.

"But how does that explain the Shield Wall malfunction?" Rayn piped up from next to Jinx.

Tess shrugged. "I'm not sure," she said, "I'll have to ask Dr. Vin. If he passed this information along to me, then he'll have to tell me about that."

"Keira said she and old Grandpa Green were out there before!" Daxter replied, "And there wasn't anything there!"

"Not that we saw," Keira said in response, "But these photos are suggesting otherwise."

"I'm going to get more information," Tess decided, "Wish me luck!"

"Good luck!" the others told her, "Be careful with those pictures!"

Tess nodded, threw her coat with a hood on, and took off into the night. She made sure to keep the envelope hidden from view as she took her Zoomer over to the Industrial Zone, where the Power Station was located. At least this time, Veger wouldn't be there yelling at the Physics/Robotics teacher.

Climbing up the familiar ramp, Tess knocked on the door, which slid open as soon as she had finished. Vin seemed just as surprised to see her there as she did. "W-what are you doing here?" he stammered, "I've got my hands full, you know!"

Wordlessly, Tess pulled the envelope out of her bag and held it in front of her. Vin widened his eyes in horror.

"Don't show that in public!" he cried, "That could be dangerous!" He quickly ushered her into the Power Station, sliding the door shut behind them.

"What is this?" Tess asked, "Why did you give this to me?"

Straightening his large glasses, Vin replied, "I-I trust you with it, that's why. You know how awful Veger is to everyone!"

"Does he really think the Precursors are buried in those ruins?"

"Y-yes! That's why he's been trying to get the Shield Wall for Dead Town open again. I was trying so hard not to fix it. Not after I closed it for good the first time."

Suddenly, the wheels began turning in Tess's head. "You mean _you _sabotaged that gate?" she realized.

Vin gasped. "N-no!" he shouted, "I didn't _sabotage _anything! I tweaked the gears a little bit so that they wouldn't open! Veger doesn't know how dangerous it would be if that gate were to stay open for a long time! And now I'm being forced the fix what I didn't want to fix!"

"Dr. Vin," Tess whispered, "I need you to tell me: why hasn't anyone been out there in a long time?"

Seeing that he was digging himself into a deeper hole, the Physics teacher decided to sit down and explain everything. This would be a long night.

* * *

"So, Erol," G.T. Blitz began that night as he, Erol, and a few others sat down in a group therapy session at the AA, "You have heard why I became an alcoholic. Now, let's hear about you."

Taking a deep breath, Erol remembered the story the AA leader had told him, about his childhood and his neglecting father. The redhead was surprised he could relate in a certain way. "I don't know," he responded, "It's always been a problem in my family, so I guess it got passed down to me. Then a whole bunch of other drama got involved as well."

"Like what?"

"Like…the new kid stealing my ex-girlfriend! That's what!" Yes, he had told Keira that he would let her go, but that didn't mean he was all right with her dating Jak.

"That's right, Erol," G.T. Blitz coaxed him in a soft voice, "Just let it all out."

"I did already!"

"You need to let it out more. So that you can reach the path to sobriety quicker."

_I guess he's got a point there, _Erol thought. "But what else can I do?"

"Find another outlet to release the anger inside of you. Trying punching something. And no, I don't mean the new student you were talking about before."

_Damn! _The redhead thought. "Do you mean a punching bag?" he asked.

"Exactly! Anything but alcohol! When I was beginning to recover, I found writing helped me a lot. It released my emotions."

"Maybe I'll try that, then. Thank you." And with that, the AA meeting was over.

"Work on writing something tonight," G.T. Blitz said, "So that when you see us again in two days, you'll be more sober than you were tonight." Erol nodded, leaving the meeting two hours after it had started.

As he walked in the slums, he suddenly found himself drawn towards the Industrial Zone, so instead of going home right away, he decided to go there. Not that many people were out at this time, but that was more than fine with him. Up ahead, voices greeted him, and he glanced up at the ramp in front of him as Tess emerged from Dr. Vin's Power Station. Grinning wickedly to himself, he ran and hid as Tess was saying good night to the Physics professor and thanking him for something. As always, Vin looked paranoid, but that was no longer a surprise to anyone.

Erol waited for Tess to descend back down to the streets before accosting her. "Hello, Tess," he greeted, emerging from the shadows and approaching her.

"Erol!" Tess gasped, "What are you doing here?"

Shrugging, the redhead replied, "Oh, you know. I was just around." Then, grinning from ear to ear and wagging his eyebrows, he added, "So, I saw you leaving Dr. Vin's Power Station."

Tess frowned. "Yeah," she snapped, "What's it to you?"

"Oh, nothing." Erol continued to smile, which was getting on his ex-friend's nerves.

"Just spit it out, Erol!" she growled.

"You two have been getting close lately. I've noticed it over the last couple of months. And you were just leaving from being with him now." He continued to grin.

"Oh _Mar_!" Tess gasped, realizing what Erol was implying, "You are _sick_! Utterly and truly _sick_! You know that?"

"So, are you or not?"

Tess shuddered. "Eww!" she screeched, "Of course not! I'm not _that _crazy! Why I was here is none of your business!"

"If the principal finds out about this, you both will be in trouble."

"Believe whatever you want, Erol. I've got to get home now." Shuddering again at the accusations Erol had just thrown at her, Tess quickly walked away. She could not _believe _that Erol had the audacity to accuse her of getting too friendly with her teacher. _Precursors, _she thought, _That was sick. _

As Erol watched her leave, he thought about how suspicious all of this was, and he knew that he had to start spying on both her and Vin. For the principal's sake.

Meanwhile, Tess finally arrived home to see her parents still gushing over something in the _Daily Haven. _This time, she didn't even bother to say anything to them as she walked upstairs again. Gently sitting on her bed, Tess looked out the window and had a flashback to the story Vin had told her when she asked about Dead Town…

* * *

_"They say there's a curse in those old ruins," Vin explained to his top Robotics student while he pointed at some of the pictures he had given her, "Ever since the Metal Heads took over the Wasteland, they have been trying to break through to Haven City once more. Boy, do I remember the first invasion. Dead Town was ravaged. Destroyed beyond repair!" _

_Tess widened her eyes. "What happened after that?" she pressed anxiously. _

_"Baron Praxis decided to pull the gate back. He left those who were still out there to die, and the old Precursor chamber was hidden away. There-" he gestured to a photograph of an ancient hut, "-is where the chamber has been moved apparently. I-I don't know how to get back out there, but that's why Veger wants me to fix what I broke." _

_"Does he know you closed the gate for good?" _

_"I-I don't think so. But if he ever found out…" Vin didn't finish. _

_"What's going to happen to Haven City?" Tess asked, her voice full of dread. _

_"If we cannot find the Precursor chamber before the Metal Heads try to attack again, we can all just kiss our butts goodbye! Veger doesn't know what he's getting himself into! He's never been good with strategic planning. Not like the old Green Sage." _

_"Professor Hagai, right?" _

_"Yes. He can help us in this, except he doesn't want to. He's a pacifist!" _

_"Maybe you can convince him." _

_"I've tried. But he won't listen to me. Nobody ever does!" _

_"I'll help you, then," Tess decided, "I believe you."_


	26. Haven vs Spargus

I'm back! Weekends are such a blessing for me, when I can just breathe and relax from all the work I had to do during the week! Anyways, here's the next chapter of "Haven High", which ends on a cliffhanger! I also drew a little inspiration from Jak II (I couldn't help it!) Thanks again for all the reviews and support! Don't forget to read, review, and enjoy! :)

**DISCLAIMER: **Everything belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

_A few days later…_

"By the Precursors!" Samos snapped as Daxter spilled a beaker of Green Eco on the floor, "Be careful with that!"

"Why?" Daxter challenged, "It's just Green Eco!"

"Just Green Eco?" the Green Sage snapped, looming over the ottsel rather menacingly, "_Just Green Eco_? This is the very item that gives back our health! I have warned you time and time again to be careful with that!"

Jak, Keira, Tess, and Ashelin all tried not to chuckle into their hands; this was certainly a refreshing change of pace from the usual boring lectures. "Ahh, Daddy," Keira sighed out of earshot of her father, "He can be so…_temperamental _sometimes."

"I'll say," Ashelin piped up, scooping up some Green Eco and using it to plant her small bush.

"So," she continued, turning to Tess, "Are you feeling all right?"

Tess looked up at the others. "Oh, I'm fine," she replied, "Just trying to make sense of everything, but I'm fine."

"That was terrible, though," Keira piped up, "What you found out and what Erol said to you afterwards. That was uncalled for."

Tess's eyes flashed as she remembered the accusation the redhead had thrown at her a few nights ago. Then, she shrugged and said, "I can't _believe _he thought I would _ever_…I mean, could I really do something like that?"

Jak, Keira, and Ashelin fell all over themselves saying, "No."

"Good. Because I wouldn't do something like that."

"We know," Jak assured her.

"Still," Ashelin quipped, "What do you all think of the Precursor ruins possibly being there?"

"It's hard to say for now," Jak reasoned, "We need more information. What about archives of Haven City's history?"

"My father might have some things," Ashelin reported, "All I'll have to do is persuade him to give me access to them."

"Hey!" Daxter suddenly snapped from where he was resting, "What are you all talking about that _isn't _including Orange Lightning?"

"We'll tell you later," Tess whispered, patting the ottsel over the head, which instantly quieted him down.

Suddenly, Jak's cell phone began to vibrate, which meant that he had a text message. Flipping the phone open, he saw that it was from Torn. _Jak, _Torn had typed, _I need you, Keira, Tess, and Ashelin to stop by the garages after Biology today. There's something I have to tell you! _

Once Daxter was finished cleaning up the Green Eco he had spilled, the five of them headed over to the garages, where Jinx, Torn, and Rayn were waiting for them. "We just got word about the first race in the Tri-City racing championship!" Torn announced, "As you know, it's going to be us vs. Spargus City." Jak and Daxter glanced at each other, grinning widely.

"It's on the weekend, so we have to start gearing up and getting ready."

Leaning on one of the Zoomers, Jak smiled and asked, "Think Dax and I can take one of these Zoomers out for a spin?"

Torn and the others glanced at each other before nodding slowly. "We'll have to go to the Stadium in order to race around the track," the co-captain replied, "But we can probably pull some strings."

"Wait!" Keira cried, "I have to inspect it first. I don't want you to get hurt."

"Thanks, Keira," Jak thanked her, kissing her quickly before allowing her to fix up the racing Zoomer.

The Green Sage's daughter's mechanical skills were about the same as Tess's Robotic talents; both of them were skilled at what they did. Jak and Daxter watched in silence as Keira checked the brakes, the engine, and the dashboard, and after what seemed like hours of inspection, she got up and beamed at the two Wastelanders. "Let's go!" she cried, ushering all her friends out the door of the garage and in the general direction of the Stadium. Once they arrived at the magnificent structure, they crossed through the workshops until they reached the place where they could lower to the track.

"So I guess this is where we'll be racing, huh?" Jak asked, gunning the engine of the racing Zoomer to life.

"Yep," Torn replied, "To get some practice in, why don't the two of us race against each other?"

"Or me," a new voice echoed against the murky walls, and everyone whirled around in surprise at the source of the sound.

"I can't believe you, Torn!" Erol snapped, straightening up again after leaning against the wall and approaching the group, "You let that freak sign up for the races after I told you not to?"

"Sure did," Torn replied nonchalantly, "Did you really think your little tirade was going to stop me? I'm the co-captain of the team, after all!"

"But _I'm _the captain," Erol pointed out, pointing a finger at Jak, "And if there's anyone he's going to race against, it's me."

As Jak marched back over to the Zoomer he had borrowed from Torn, he heard Daxter ask, "Are you sure you want to challenge the big guy? He was the king of the race tracks in the Wasteland!"

Erol scoffed. "Well, then, I rule the Mar Memorial Stadium tracks!" he bragged, "Let's see what you're made of!" However, only Jak himself noticed the flicker in his enemy's eyes; he was biting off more than he could chew.

Jak and Erol guided their Zoomers over to the track itself and got situated. He guessed that the racing captain had followed them all the way from Haven High itself in order to overhear their whole conversation.

Keira, Tess, Torn, Ashelin, Daxter, Jinx, and Rayn all glanced at each other. They knew Erol was an amazing racer, yet they had never seen Jak before, so they would have to take Daxter's word for it that he was just as good.

"Ready?" Rayn cried, racing over to the two flags situated in a corner of the track. Jak and Erol nodded, revving up their Zoomers and glaring at the track in front of them.

"And…go!" Krew's daughter lowered the flags, and both boys took off, leaving a trail of dust behind them that Rayn had to cover her eyes.

Meanwhile, the one-lap race was heating up between Jak and Erol. Although Erol had gotten a head start, Jak managed to catch up with him. Racing on Haven City's Zoomers was definitely something he needed to get used to after racing in cars for most of his life. All both boys could hear around them was the wind being produced from their vehicles, but before the redhead could register what was going on, Jak was already cruising in front of him, almost without a second thought. _No! _Erol thought, _This cannot be happening! _

Accelerating slightly, Erol suddenly began to rear-end Jak. Annoyed, the Wastelander turned around. "So that's how you race, huh?" he snapped, "How about like this?" Breaking away from his rival's Zoomer, he accelerated as well and made a few sharp turns down the track. He was winning this small race; it was obvious, but Erol wouldn't give up. He couldn't lose to Jak. He just _couldn't_!

"Move over!" the racing captain snapped, bumping into Jak from the side and overtaking him. But Jak soon recovered and sped up again until they began to approach the finishing line. Where Rayn was waiting for them. Jak and Erol were neck and neck at this point, eyeballing the checkered line in front of them and wondering which one of them was going to win.

It all seemed to happen so fast, but Jak suddenly accelerated for one last time, just barely crossing the finish line before Erol. "And…time!" Rayn shouted, pressing a button on a stopwatch, "And the winner is…Jak!"

The rest of their friends began to cheer, with Jak dismounting from his Zoomer and going to meet up with the others. "That was great, Jak!" Keira cried, hugging him.

"Daxter was right about you," Torn conceded, "You nailed that race track." Everyone was so busy fawning over Jak that they didn't notice how Erol had climbed back up to them and poked the Wastelander in the shoulder.

"Fine," he grumbled, "You won this time, Jak, but don't think you'll be able to win the race this Saturday! If you make our school lose, we'll hate you even more than we already do!" And with that, he marched away, only leaving the others to stare at each other.

* * *

_Could Saturday not have arrived any quicker? _Jak thought as the alarm clock on the side of his bed rang in his ears. Bashing it until it quieted down, the Wastelander got out of bed, showered, and then changed into his racing outfit. Last night, Torn had texted him about the location of the race itself: in the Wasteland. They were all to meet at Spargus City, where the Spargus High students would lead them to the race track.

"Hey, Dax!" Jak cried, "We're going home today!"

"Woohoo!" his best friend cried as they climbed downstairs and met up with Damas.

"It'll be good to go home for this weekend," Jak's father mused as they climbed into their Zoomer outside and began making their way back to the Wasteland. Racing against his ex-classmates was bound to be awkward, but he would just have to tough it out. The Haven City racers had no idea what they were up against.

The crowd around Spargus High's vast race track was growing steadily, with both Wastelanders and Havenites combined. Keira and Samos were already watching from some of the best seats possible, but Principal Veger was also there. Jak and Daxter groaned to themselves as they gazed at the psychotic man that ran Haven High. Upon noticing them as well, Veger smirked and gave them an appreciative nod.

To the rest of Jak's friends, the Wasteland was a whole new experience; anyone who said that the newest addition to their group was lying were the real liars. Like Daxter had pointed out all those months ago, the Oasis was beautiful, and the desert seemed to stretch for miles. Fortunately, it was still winter, so it wasn't as hot as it was in the summer. They did, however, get multiple stares from almost all of the Wastelanders; clearly, Havenites did not visit Spargus too much.

"Jak!" voices from all around him cried, and when Jak looked up, he spotted not only the Spargus High students waving at him, but the Marauders as well, "Who are you racing for today?"

At first, Jak didn't know what to say. Did his fellow Wastelander students feel that he was betraying them in some sort of way? "I'm racing to see who will win," was all he said before he left to go to the race track. Torn, Erol, some of the other Haven High racers, and Erol were standing around in a circle as they each were assigned specific cars to drive. According to Torn, whoever was the away racing team would have to abide by the rules set down by the home team. Upon noticing Jak, Erol glared at him and shook his fist out of eyesight of the others.

"All right, racers!" Seem announced, "We're all going to head over to the track now. Have your vehicles ready!" When she glanced at Jak, she grinned, but didn't say anything. Jak knew she had to judge this race unbiased.

As all the racers prepared for takeoff, Jak suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder, and when he turned around, he saw it was Principal Veger. "Good luck in the race today, Eco Freak," he sneered, "With your powers, you'll surely need it."

Jak narrowed his eyes. "I can hold my own," he assured the man in front of him, "Just watch." And with that, he climbed back into his car and gave Torn the thumbs-up.

"Good luck, Jak!" Keira cried from the stands, and she blew her boyfriend a kiss. From next to her, Daxter back flipped and held up a sign saying, "The King has returned".

"Hey!" a Spargus High racer suddenly shouted, "Haven City! Prepare to eat our dust!"

"Boo!" all the Havenites jeered, and Jak felt mildly uncomfortable for a second.

"Racers!" Seem announced into a megaphone, quieting the heated audience down, "Welcome to the first of three races in the Haven-Spargus-Kras Tri-City Racing Championship!" The crowd cheered, forgetting about the tense rivalry.

"The school that wins this race will go on to challenge Kras City in the second race, which will take place in two weeks. And the losing team will get a compensation race. More information will be given to you about that after this race. For now, give it your best and please, don't run anyone off the track!" Some of the Wasteland racers snickered into their hands.

"On your mark…get set…GO!" Seem fired an Eco pistol, and in a fury of dust, all the racers took off down the track, with Jak easily outracing everyone else, even Erol and Torn.

_You can do this, Jak, _he encouraged himself, _Just pretend you're racing against the Marauders. _Stepping on the gas pedal, he quickly moved out of the way of a Spargus High student. He found that pretending that this was nothing more than a daily run in the desert helped him concentrate more as he sped past familiar locations: the Oasis, the path to Monk Temple, etc.

Suddenly, Torn caught up with him. "Jak!" he shouted, "How are you holding up?"

Peering at his friend through his goggles, he gave him the thumbs-up sign again. "I think we have a shot of winning!" he replied.

"No, you don't!" an unfamiliar voice snapped from next to Jak, and they both looked up to see another student from the opposite team, "You left us when we needed you, Jak! And now, we're going to kick your ass in this race!"

"Don't listen to him, Jak!" Torn told the confused Wastelander.

"Shut up, Havenite! This is between me and Jak!"

_I'm not listening to this right now! _Jak thought to himself, _I have a race to win! _And after accelerating once more, he sped away from both Torn and the other racer.

* * *

From far away, the sound of Spargus cars greeted the inhabitants of the Metal Head Nest. One particular Metal Head twitched in his sleep before opening his large, yellow eyes. Scratching the skull gem in the middle of his head, he decided to get up and leave the cool confinements of his nest in order to investigate. Once he was outside in the blinding sun, he instantly spotted the source of the sound: a race was taking place.

_Kor? _One of the other Metal Heads asked through telepathy, _What do you see out there? _

The large Metal Head, Kor, narrowed his eyes to get a better focus. He saw that a bunch of teenagers were racing each other in the desert, but one in particular caught his eye immediately: a young man with short, blond hair, blue-and-brown clothing, and a Tough Puppy vehicle like no other. His eyes were the darkest blue Kor had ever seen; they were also eyes that he knew all too well.

"The child, Jak," he said to the others, "He's back."


	27. Sneak Attack

Thank you guys so much for the support, and congratulations to Fishyicon for getting the 100th review! Over 100 reviews! I never thought I would get that many for any of my stories, and it was all thanks to you guys! I owe all of you! :) Anyway, here's the next chapter of "Haven High", so I hope you enjoy it as much as I loved writing it! :)

**DISCLAIMER: **Everything belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

"Last lap!" Jak cried out loud to Torn as they cross the starting line for a third time. For the last two laps, the race against Spargus High had been a fairly close one; the racer that had taunted Jak at the beginning was fairly close to Torn once more, while Erol was just speeding past him and driving next to Jak. He couldn't believe that Jak was actually winning for Haven High right now. _Nobody _had _ever _been able to beat him in a race…until now. _I hate to admit it, _Erol thought to himself, _But Jak's pretty good. _

Jak, who had slowed down to make a sharp turn by the Oasis, sped up once more, leaving the Wastelanders in the dust. The other two times he had sped past the roaring crowd, he had heard all his friends cheering him on. If he won this race, Veger wouldn't be able to touch him; he would have to award the young boy for his victory. With that thought in mind, he continued to drive until he cruised past the Metal Head Nest and the path to Monk Temple once more. Making a few more sharp turns, he accelerated until he spotted the checkered line in front of him once more. Sand flew in his face, but thanks to his trusty goggles, his eyes were perfectly fine, and he finally crossed the finish line for good, effectively ending the Haven vs. Spargus race.

From her perch above the track, Seem and her monks waited for the other racers to make it back to the starting point before announcing the results. "Wow!" she exclaimed, "What a race! The winner is…Haven City, with Jak claiming first place!"

All the Havenites cheered, and it was so loud that Jak had to cover his ears for an instant. Suddenly, floods of people surrounded him, pumping fists with him, hugging him, and chanting his name. "Jak! Jak! Jak!" they cried, lifting him out of the Tough Puppy and carrying him in the air.

"You did it, Jak!" Keira cried, and the Wastelander instantly felt her arms snake around his neck in a bear hug. While Jak reveled in the victory, he turned to face the Spargus racers, who were giving him looks of disdain. They clearly felt betrayed, and Jak couldn't help but feel a little guilty; he would have to make it up to them somehow.

Out of nowhere, Veger approached the group. "Congratulations, Jak," he said in a strained voice, "Looks like you have talents besides being a freak."

Although he was annoyed, Jak didn't show it; he wouldn't get angry in front of everyone. There was no need for the frustration he usually felt on a daily basis from the principal.

"Wow, Jak!" Ashelin cried as she, Torn, Jinx, Rayn, Daxter, and Tess approached him next, "Your first race in Haven City and you won! I'm impressed!"

"Thanks," Jak thanked the Baron's daughter.

"See?" Daxter piped up, "I told you he would leave 'em all in the dust!"

Jak was just patting the ottsel over the head when suddenly, a ball of Dark Eco flew over everyone's heads. With a deafening bang, it crashed to the ground a few feet away from Jak's Tough Puppy, and everyone began to scream and run in circles. The Wastelanders, meanwhile, mobilized and prepared for attack.

Jak and his friends were looking around for the source of the bomb when a deep voice spoke up. "Hello, Jak," it greeted, "So we meet again."

Whirling around, the Wastelander looked up and saw none other than Kor, a face he knew too well. Everything about the Metal Head leader-from the eyes to the large skull gem in the middle of his head-brought back horrible memories from that one day two years ago.

At first, Jak remained silent; he didn't know what to say. How did Kor know he was here?

"Speechless, are we?" the massive beast asked with a slight chuckle, "Surely you remember me. Or maybe you chose not to."

"What are you doing here?" Jak snapped, feeling Dark Jak come to life underneath his skin.

Smirking, Kor answered, "I saw you racing in the desert before. I'm surprised you've continued with that, especially after what happened two years ago."

Jak closed his eyes for a minute as he pictured a Dark Eco bomb crashing down onto his car. "I remember that day," he whispered, "That was the day you screwed me over!" He was so angry about Kor's unannounced arrival that he didn't notice that everyone had gone silent in an attempt to listen to the conversation between them.

Kor tilted his head to the side before speaking up once more. "You mean you don't like the powers I've given you?" he asked in mock disappointment, "Too bad. You make a much better Dark Warrior than you do a normal human being."

"Jak?" Daxter asked from his left shoulder, but Jak ignored him. He was not going to change into Dark Jak. Not right here.

Meanwhile, Keira and her friends watched in awe. The Green Sage's daughter remembered the story Jak had told her about the day he began to channel Dark Eco, and she couldn't believe this was the Metal Head who was responsible. She wanted to say something, but then thought better of it; this was Jak's battle.

"Now that you're back," Kor continued, "We have some unfinished business. Starting with this city." And with that, his whole army of Metal Heads launched an attack, throwing bombs towards the city and the people in it.

"Wastelanders attack!" Damas cried, easily slipping back into his old military role. All the Havenites began screaming and running in all directions while Jak dropped Daxter off into Tess's arms and raced forward into the chaos.

"Jak, no!" Keira cried, "What are you doing?"

The Wastelander turned around to face his girlfriend. "Get out of here, Keira!" he insisted, "I don't want you getting hurt!"

At first, the mechanic didn't move, but when another bomb sailed towards her, Jak quickly turned into Dark Jak, ran towards her, and knocked her out of the way. When the explosion cleared, he got back up, took Keira into his arms, and carried her away from the danger. Kor zeroed in on the two of them and intensified his attacks.

Meanwhile, Tess, Torn, Ashelin, Rayn, and Jinx were running themselves as a smaller division of Metal Heads chased them. Suddenly, the five of them found themselves surrounded, Tasers pointed at them from all directions. "Now what?" Jinx asked.

None of the others said a word, until Tess reached into her coat and pulled out a Vulcan Fury. The others gaped at her. "Tess?" Rayn cried, "Where did you get that?"

"I made it in Robotics!" Tess replied, unlocking the gun and opening fire on the Metal Heads around them. From her right, Ashelin also pulled out a pistol that had the Krimzon Guard logo on it.

"_Ashelin?_" Rayn shrieked. Ashelin also fired away at the beasts, ignoring Rayn for the time being. The Metal Heads began swiping at them in an attempt to relieve them of their weapons, but neither girl gave up. In an instant, some of the Metal Heads finally succumbed to the bullet wounds and others were running in order to get backup.

As the Baron's daughter blew smoke away from the barrel of her Eco pistol, Rayn stared from her to Tess in shock. "You both can shoot guns?" she asked.

Ashelin nodded. "My father taught me a long time ago," she answered simply.

"And I built this gun in Dr. Vin's class," Tess explained, "I didn't think it would actually work, though."

"Looks like it does," Torn commented, and they all ran so that they could catch up with their other friends.

On the other side of the race track, Jak and Keira were still running with Kor in pursuit. The whole time, Keira was watching Jak in his dark form to make sure nothing happened that was beyond his control, but as she looked into his black eyes, she noticed he wasn't attacking her. Maybe he still recognized her in his feral state.

"Come back here!" Kor snapped, shooting a Dark Eco laser at the two of them. Jak pushed Keira out of the way and felt the blast move across his back.

"Jak!" Keira cried, picking herself up and running over to him. But another explosion ended up separating the two of them. Picking herself up, Keira continued to run in an attempt to find her way back to Jak.

On the other side, Jak, who was still in Dark Jak mode, picked himself up and growled. The thought of anything happening to those who were close to him because of him ate away at him, so he decided to try and find the others to get them out of there. He also realized this was the longest he had ever been transformed, due to the infinite amount of Dark Eco that was around. Allowing more of the substance to enter his body, he continued to fight his way through the army of Metal Heads.

"AHH!" a voice cried, and because Jak's senses were much sharper now, he instantly recognized the sound. Crouching down on all fours, he began to run towards the source, and he ended up finding the most unlikely person.

"HELP ME!" Principal Veger screamed in an un-Veger-like tone, and Jak noticed he was surrounded on all sides by Metal Heads.

"SOMEBODY! HELP!" he shouted, not noticing the Wastelander in front of him. At first, Jak remained where he was, watching as the Hora Quan moved closer to Veger, ready to end his life in that moment.

_Leave him, Jak, _Dark Jak taunted from deep within, _He gave you hell. He deserves to be ripped to pieces. _

"Jak!" Veger cried, "Don't just stand there! Get these freaks away from me!"

_Now he needs your help? _Dark Jak continued, _After everything he put you through? Just listen to me now, Jak. Let him die. _

However, something else was rising up inside the young teenager. Something he hadn't felt in a long time.

_Jak, _a new voice piped up, _Don't be like Kor. You're not a mindless killing machine._

_Don't listen to that foolish voice, _Dark Jak snarled.

"JAK!" the principal yelled, pulling Jak away from the warring voices in his mind. And taking a deep breath, Jak moved forward, leaped into the air, and performed one of his most powerful moves: the Dark Bomb attack. With a wave of Dark Eco, the Metal Heads surrounding Veger flew into the air and then exploded, effectively dying and letting the principal go.

As Jak reverted back to normal, he glanced at Veger, who was just picking himself up and brushing off his robe. He gaped at the boy, his mouth hanging open in shock. Jak didn't say anything, but he merely stared back, narrowing his dark blue eyes as if to say, _Looks like you needed my help after all. _But before Veger could say anything, he was already gone, running back into the fray. "I can't believe it…" the principal muttered to himself.

In the middle of the race track, the Wasteland army was slowly winning the battle. Seem was commanding her monks to attack, and slowly but surely, they were driving the Metal Heads back into the desert. Daxter was running around, looking for Jak, but finding Keira instead. "Keira!" he cried.

"Daxter!" she replied, scooping him up into her arms, "Are you all right?"

"I just fought my way through a dozen Metal Heads!" Daxter replied, exaggerating his story, as always, "But I'm all right."

"Have you seen Jak?"

"Nope." Daxter looked around and suddenly changed his mind. "Wait, there he is!"

Sure enough, there was Jak, walking through the craziness around him just to reach his friends and family again. "Jak!" everyone cried, running over to him and hugging him.

"Are you okay?" he asked all of them.

"We're fine," Tess replied, waving her Vulcan Fury in the air, "How are you?"

For a moment, Jak looked back into the war that was going on and sighed. "I'm fine," he assured the others.

"That's what you think," Kor suddenly spoke up, and as he prepared to fire a larger Dark Eco bomb at them, Jak suddenly closed his eyes. The others fell silent, wondering what their friend had up his sleeve. Daxter heard a low humming and instantly realized exactly what was about to happen.

A bright light began to glow around Jak, and as it did, everything around him turned a dark blue color and slowed down. He was sure the others were more than confused, but he would have to explain everything to them later. For the time being, he watched as the bomb sailed towards them in slow motion before crouching down, clapping his hands, and forming a white shield around everyone. In that instant, time snapped back to normal, and the bomb crashed down on them, but didn't do any damage, thanks to the shield. The whole time, Jak's eyes had been closed, but he slowly opened them to reveal a dark blue color accentuated by the white light that surrounded him. The humming, which had been quiet before, grew louder, and on his left shoulder, Daxter stood up in awe.

"Whoa," Keira gasped as Jak turned to face them, his eyes burning through their skin. Kor, meanwhile, found that his armies were being depleted, so he decided to retreat.

"Those defensive powers of yours won't protect you for much longer, Jak!" the Metal Head shrieked, "We'll see each other again. Real soon." And with that, he took the rest of his army and retreated back into the desert.

"Oh, _Precursors,_" the rest of Keira's friends gasped as they took in a third side of Jak they had never seen before. From the brightness of his skin, they realized that not only could he channel Dark Eco, but Light Eco as well. While still in Light Jak mode, Jak grinned at his friends.

* * *

The battle was over. Debris was everywhere, and Veger didn't know what to make of everything. He watched as the Wastelanders cheered over their victory and began to clean up the rubble. Fortunately, not too many people had been killed, but they still hoped never to have something like that happen again.

"Principal Veger?"

Veger looked up to see none other than Erol standing in front of him. Throughout the raid, the redhead had hidden in a secluded spot until Kor retreated, and now, he was going back to get Veger out of the mess.

"The Dark Eco Freak," Veger choked, "He…he saved my life."


	28. A Sidekick's Tale

All right! Here's the next chapter of "Haven High", which answers a few questions that were brought up in the previous chapter! This can be considered the companion chapter to "A Hero's Tale", so I hope you like the story in this chapter! Don't forget to read and review! Thanks again, guys! :)

**DISCLAIMER: **Everything belongs to Naughty Dog.

_Italics- _Flashbacks

* * *

_Jak saved my life, _Veger thought to himself as he walked through some of the rubble with Erol, _That Dark Eco Freak who I've been bullying this whole time actually saved my life! _

Why Jak had performed such an unselfish act was a mystery to the principal; Veger had literally _tormented _the poor Wastelander, yet he still went out of his way to rescue him. What did this say about Jak? What did this say about the principal himself? Was he wrong about the boy this whole time? So many questions littered his mind, but he didn't want to go over and _ask _Jak. Instead, he hung back and watched as Jak reunited with his friends and father and helped them clean up the race track. None of them said more than two words the whole time, and Veger knew he would have to get Jak alone at one point to ask him why he had done what he did. However, he wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer or not.

_I need to know, though, _he thought, sidestepping large puddles of Dark Eco that were oozing across the track. He found it ironic that the very Eco he despised was the one that saved his life.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the race track, Keira and her friends were still in awe over Light Jak's debut during the battle against the Metal Heads. Keira had to admit that Jak wasn't like anyone else she had ever met; he was just full of surprises. "So you can channel Light Eco, too, huh?" she whispered.

Jak nodded, closing his eyes for a minute. "Yes," he replied, "You all don't seem to be as scared of that as you were my other side."

"Light isn't as destructive as Dark. That's probably why." Keira shook her head.

"How did you get those powers?" she asked, "That shield you made was amazing!"

Jak felt a blush crawl up his cheeks and glanced over at Daxter as he replied, "I think Dax should be the one to tell this story. It was all thanks to him."

Keira laughed. "So, Daxter finally gets a story, huh?" she teased. Jak grinned.

The ottsel, who had overheard his best friend, gathered everyone around, leaped up onto Jak's shoulder, and announced, "Gather around, everyone! The big guy here asked me to tell you the story behind his Light Powers! So there I was, walking through the beautiful Oasis when I suddenly got a brilliant idea in my head…"

* * *

_The year following the day Jak began to channel Dark Eco was not an easy year for Jak, Damas, or Daxter. Poor Jak had become moodier as time went on, and by now, most of the other citizens of Spargus were so afraid of his other side that they gave him a wide berth. It killed Daxter to see his best friend in such a depressed state. _

_"Don't sweat it, big guy," the ottsel told Jak a couple of days before his seventeenth birthday, "So you can channel Dark Eco now! It doesn't change who you are! You're still the king of the race tracks here!" Jak cracked a weak smile, for on that day, he had accidentally transformed into Dark Jak and scared away one of the other boys in the palace, and he was feeling bad about himself once more. _

_"Aww, cheer up, Jak," he quipped, trying again to make the Wastelander feel better. But Jak still felt guilty, so instead, he got up and decided to walk around the gardens a little bit. _

_"Thanks, Dax," he thanked his friend, and before Daxter could get another word in, he was already gone. _I've got to do something to cheer him up, _he thought, _I still owe him for when he saved me all those years ago.

_Slipping underneath doors and scurrying across the floors of the palace, Daxter eventually left to go out into the Wasteland, specifically to the Oasis, which was one of his favorite places to visit. While he was pacing around the small lakes and palm trees, he was thinking about different things Jak liked to do. Racing was one of them, but he wasn't sure if that would be the thing to cheer him up. That was when he suddenly remembered something that Seem, the head monk, had once told Damas. Something about Light Eco and Dark Eco being opposites of each other… _

That's it! _The ottsel thought, and turning once more, he sprinted out of the Oasis and quickly hurried back to the Palace, where he grabbed his ottsel-sized Dune Hopper and took off towards Monk Temple. He had watched time and time again as Jak drove on the same path, so he was sure he knew the way by heart at this point. Taking care to keep the sand from flying into his face, Daxter covered his eyes, but thankfully, there were little to no Marauders around to slow him down. He was thankful for that. _

_After driving for fifteen minutes (including hopping over the small islands to actually get to the temple itself), Daxter climbed out of the mini-Dune Hopper and crawled his way into the temple, which seemed much larger than when he had traveled there with Jak. That didn't matter now; he had to find those old Precursor Statues. They had to be around there somewhere! _

_After climbing down some stairs and making his way through different hallways, Daxter finally heard a door open in front of him, and when he looked up, he spotted the idols that had given him the creeps when he and Jak had first explored this place. Swallowing his slight fear, he walked up to it and stepped on the platform in front of him, effectively waking up the statue. Its eyes glowed for a second before the torches around it ignited. _

_"Greetings, young one," the Precursor began, "It has been so long since someone has visited our temple." _

_"I bet it has, big boy," Daxter muttered under his breath. _

_Either the Precursor idol didn't hear him or chose not to, because it then asked, "What are you doing here in the sanctity of our place of worship?" _

_Daxter frowned. "I just fought my way through the blistering heat and was nearly blinded by the sand!" he snapped, "Can't a guy have a little shade?" _

_Before the Precursor could reply, the ottsel added quickly, "But I'm here for my boy, Jak." _

_"Jak…" the statue echoed as if it were trying to remember the name. _

_"Yes, Jak!" Daxter insisted, "You know, tall, blond, can channel almost every Eco known to man!" _

_"Ahh, yes. Jak. We have heard so much about him." _

_"So you heard about what happens when you piss him off, then." _

_The Precursor statue thought about it for a minute. "Yes, we have," it said. _

_"You're the higher-ups, right? Is there a way you can reverse the effects of Dark Eco?" _

_"Unfortunately, short one, with that high of a dosage, it is impossible to remove it." _

_Daxter was dumbfounded. "What?" he shrieked, "Have you even tried to do that?" _

_"The effects are very devastating. But, there might be a way to balance out the Dark Eco inside of Jak." _

_Daxter perked up at these words. "I'm listening," he said. _

_"Bring Jak back here in two days, and we will show you." _

_For once, Daxter was grateful for the Precursor idols that were here, so he thanked them over and over again as he scurried out of the temple. Whatever the Precursors had in mind for his friend, he hoped that Jak would feel better about his situation. _

_It just so happened that two days later was officially Jak's seventeenth birthday. Jak was feeling a little better from the incident two days ago, but only a little bit. It was going on seven in the morning when Daxter was surprisingly awake before everyone else. After stretching his short arms over his head, he crossed the hallway into Jak's room, jumped on the bed, and began shouting in his ear. "Hey, birthday boy!" he cried, "Wake up!" _

_Jak tossed and turned for a minute before finally opening his eyes to Daxter. "Hey, Dax," he croaked, rubbing sleep out of his eyes, "Do you know what time it is?" _

_"Seven o'clock in the morning, buddy!" the ottsel replied, "And we're going to take a drive in the Wasteland today." _

_"Where?" _

_"Monk Temple. You love it there." Jak didn't know why Daxter was so adamant about driving there out of all places; the ottsel had never shown interest in it before. Until that day. _

_After showering and dressing, Jak and Daxter climbed into Jak's Dune Hopper and drove out to Monk Temple, enjoying the morning breeze from the sea nearby. _I hope Jak likes this, _Daxter thought to himself as the two of them hopped across the small islands. _

_Once they arrived at the Temple, Jak climbed out of the car, took out his Jet board, and began making his way through the hallways, performing little tricks to amuse himself. Daxter tried to suppress his grin as his friend spoke up. "What's this all about, anyway?" he asked. The ottsel didn't say a word. _

_After a few more twists and turns, the two of them made it back to the Precursor statue, which came to life after sensing their presence. "Greetings, young warrior," it began, "It has been so long since you've walked our hallways, and something has been called to our attention. Step forward, and we will show you." Jak widened his eyes and glanced at Daxter, who said nothing, but merely smiled. _

_"We can sense the darkness within you," the Precursor continued in a regal voice, "And in order to fulfill your destiny, you must learn the balance between dark and light. Therefore, we grant you the highest gift: the ability to channel Light Eco." _

_At first, Jak was speechless; this was the last thing he had expected from the Precursors. He stole a glance at Daxter again, who was grinning fully now. "Daxter?" he asked, but before he could get the rest of his question out, a shaft of white light surrounded him and slowly lifted him into the air. The process was not as painful as it had been when he began to channel Dark Eco, he noticed; in fact, he experienced a pleasant sensation. Once the maximum amount of Light Eco he could hold entered his body, he gently floated back down to the ground and closed his eyes for a minute, calling on the new Eco and glowing white again. His eyes turned electric blue as wings sprouted out of his back. Kicking up from the ground once more, he began to glide around the Temple, enjoying the rush of wind moving past his back. Once he got the hang of flying, he swooped down, gently took Daxter into his arms, and lifted up into the sky again. With a cry of joy, Jak flew higher and higher into the air until he couldn't fly anymore. He smiled as he looked down at the ottsel in his hands, and he had to admit he was touched by Daxter's selflessness. He couldn't believe that his friend had gone out his way to do this for him. _

_When he decided to stop flying, Jak lowered himself back to the ground and gasped, "Daxter? You…did all this?" _

_"Sure did!" Daxter piped up proudly, "You saved my life all those years ago, so now it's time for me to thank you again." _

_"Dax…" Jak whispered, feeling tears form in his eyes for the first time in a long time. He couldn't help but feel moved by his best friend's surprise gift for his birthday, and he couldn't think of any other way to thank the ottsel. _

_"Daxter," he repeated, "Thank you. Thank you so much!" He hugged Daxter and didn't let go for a long time, reveling in the fact that someone besides Damas was always there for him, no matter what happened to him. _

_"Take care of your powers, warrior," the Precursor advised him, "You will need them for the future." _

_"Thanks again," Jak thanked Daxter, who beamed in turn as the Wastelander began to channel Light Eco again. _

_"Happy birthday, Jak," Daxter said in a soft voice. _

* * *

"Aww," everyone cooed around Jak and Daxter.

"Daxter," Tess cried, taking the ottsel into her arms and cuddling him, "That was so nice of you!"

"I've got to admit," Ashelin piped up, "You are truly something else."

Daxter bowed slightly as he responded, "Thank you! Thank you very much! You all know I'd do anything for Jak over here!" Jak smiled silently and looked around at all his friends.

Even Rayn, who had been speaking to Jak way more than she had been speaking to Daxter during the whole time they were in Haven High, seemed to finally warm up to the orange rodent. Daxter had finally found a way to repay his best friend, and they all felt even more confident now that they would triumph over Veger and Erol.


	29. Bad Science

Okay! Here's the next chapter of "Haven High", which can only mean more drama for the gang! On another note, it has come to my attention that I have not included Gol and Maia Acheron in this story yet. At first, I wasn't sure where to put them, but then, I suddenly gained a burst of inspiration in the form of this chapter. I hope you like what I did with them! :) As always, thank you to everyone who has reviewed and supported this story, and enjoy the next chapter!

**DISCLAIMER: **Everything belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

The journey back to Haven City was silent, but comfortable. Jak and Keira were resting their heads on each other's laps as Damas drove them, Ashelin, Torn, Tess, Rayn, and Jinx home. Daxter was sitting on Tess's lap the whole time as she stroked his head. "My hero!" she was whispering to him, which made the ottsel beam. Nobody could stop talking about the good deed Daxter had done for Jak last year.

"Can you believe how everything's changed over the last five months?" Keira asked, "Do you guys ever wonder what life would be like if Jak and Daxter never showed up?"

"This city would be _boring_!" Daxter exclaimed, "That's what life would be like!" Jak chuckled from where he was sitting.

"I think everyone's changed somewhat because of you guys," Torn quipped.

"Not the teachers!" Rayn said in her accented voice.

"You mean Dr. Vin?" Ashelin asked, nodding her head at Krew's daughter, "He's still paranoid, like he always is."

* * *

Haven High School looked intimidating at night time. The building loomed over Vin as he used his shaking hand to take a key out of his pocket. Humming nonchalantly to himself, he unlocked the door to the school and proceeded to sneak inside. _I could lose my job for this, _he thought as he crept around the silent hallways. The thought of being fired scared him, like everything else did, but something else pushed him forward.

Dressed in an entirely black outfit with black gloves and a black hat, Vin had pushed his white hair underneath the hat and painted black lines underneath his eyes so that nobody would recognize him. If someone told him five months ago that he would attempt to break into Principal Veger's office, as well as sabotage the Shield Wall, he would have just cowered underneath his desk. Yet here he was, sneaking around Haven High for a good cause. Ever since Jak and Daxter had walked into his Physics class back in September, he had sensed that something was going to change in the air. And it had. Ever since the two Wastelanders had arrived, the Physics teacher had been slowly breaking out of his shell. He had seen how Jak stood up to Veger and realized that if a teenager could take down the principal, then he could surely learn how to stand on his two feet as well. And with that thought in mind, he continued to move stealthily down the hallway until he reached Veger's office. Unlocking the door to this room, Vin stepped inside and looked around quickly before approaching the large desk in the middle of the room. _Jackpot, _he thought as he began to slide the first drawer open.

_RIIIIIIIING! _Out of nowhere, piercing alarms rang in his ears, and Vin instantly perked up again, pulling out an Eco Pistol from his coat. He knew he was a bad shot, but it was better than being a no-shot. A camera in the corner of the room moved around until it spotted the Physics teacher in the corner. A red laser illuminated from the bottom, and in horror, Vin ducked as it began to open fire on him. _I-I should have known he would have a defense system in his own office, _he thought as he grabbed the thick envelope at the top and made a run for it.

Along the way, a security robot woke up and began sweeping the empty hallways. "_Intruder! Intruder!_" it announced, making Vin's heart beat even faster. But he didn't look behind him.

"_Surrender yourself. You are under arrest,_" it warned a few times before Vin whirled around, opened fire, and destroyed the robot. It exploded into a few large pieces, but the alarm still rang around him. Looking around, he began to shoot at the other cameras/guns that were in place on the ceilings, and one by one, they stopped shooting at him, quieting down the alarms. _Whew! _He thought, wiping his forehead and turning to go…and bumping into someone in the process.

"Dr. Vin!" a familiar voice cried, "What are you doing here at this time of night?"

"Veger!" the Physics teacher cried.

Shaking his head, Veger smirked and chuckled a little bit. "I never thought you would be the type to break into my office," he said, "I'll be taking this back, thank you." He snatched the envelope right out of Vin's hands.

"Where were you going with this, anyway?" the principal asked slyly, "Off to meet Tess again?"

Vin froze where he was.

"Come on, now," Veger insisted, "You can tell me the truth."

"I-I wasn't!" Vin cried, "I swear!"

"Isn't this sweet?" the principal sneered, "You have feelings for one of your students. You know that's not allowed in Haven High."

"It's not like that!"

"It isn't? Then how do you explain inviting her over to the Power Station?"

Vin frowned and glared at Veger. He couldn't believe what he was being accused of right now. He had to admit that he couldn't explain himself like he wanted to, lest he give away the fact that he was passing information along to a student.

"Right," Veger quipped, "That's what I thought. While you're here, go to your office and clear out your things. You won't be needed here anymore."

"N-no!" Vin yelled, "You can't do that! It's not what you think!"

"I'm not stupid, _Vin_," the principal snapped, "You've been acting suspicious ever since Jak arrived." He paused for a minute at the name _Jak, _remembering what the teenager had done for him in the Wasteland not too long ago.

"Now, have all your belongings cleared out in half an hour or else I'll call the KG and have you _forcefully _removed." Vin shook, but planted his feet firmly in the ground.

"You don't know what you're getting yourself into, Veger!" Vin told him, "If you open the Shield Wall-"

"Enough! It's time you left." He gestured to the door, and the Physics teacher turned to go.

"And Vin?"

"What?" The older man turned around to hear Veger's last words to him.

"I'm sure Tess will _love _to hear that she's the reason you got fired."

"No! It's not like that! I'm telling you, it's not like that at all! Don't hurt her!"

"Farewell, Dr. Vin! We don't need you here anymore!" Veger waved once more and shut the door in the former teacher's face.

* * *

Something was different in Haven High, Jak and his friends noticed as they crowded around outside the building before first period. "I wonder how class is going to be today," Jinx wondered as he peered over at Erol and Veger, who were talking amongst themselves. At one point, both of them glanced over at them, but didn't make a move to harass them as usual. Veger did, however, smirk at Tess, and Jak wondered what that was all about.

"Do you think he's going to back off now?" Torn asked, "Because you saved his life?"

"We'll have to see," Jak replied, "We'd better go to Physics." And with that, he, Daxter, Torn, Ashelin and Keira went to the large room, as always…but something was different.

"Where's Dr. Vin?" Keira asked as they took their usual seats.

"Yeah, where is old sack of nerves?" Daxter piped up, "He's never missed a day of class!"

In the front of the room, Veger, Erol, and a mysterious man nobody had ever seen before entered the lab, shaking hands and talking quietly. "Who's that guy?" Ashelin whispered.

The hooded man removed his cloak, and the students gasped. He didn't look like anybody they had ever seen before; his skin was gray, his eyes were yellow, and his white hair billowed out behind him. One eye was significantly larger than the other, which worried the others. Even Daxter couldn't think of any of his usual sarcastic comments.

"Good morning class," the man greeted in a raspy voice, "I am Professor Gol Acheron. And I will be taking over Physics for the rest of the year."

Jak and his friends glanced at each other. "A substitute?" Torn piped up, "Where's Dr. Vin?"

"There has been an unfortunate…incident involving your previous instructor. And Principal Veger has asked that I continue the course. Now, will someone remind me of where Dr. Vin left off with all of you?"

At first, nobody said a word, which annoyed Gol. "I know none of you are this shy around your other teachers," he insisted.

Keira was the first one to speak. "We were doing Blue Eco Circuits," she explained in a shaky voice.

Gol shook his head. "Blue Eco?" he asked with disdain, "You have not been well-versed in all the types of Eco, have you? You should be up to Dark Eco at this point!"

"But this class is mostly about Blue Eco!" Keira replied, "The Eco of Motion!"

"The course can be changed a little bit, can't it?"

"Well-"

"Of course it can! I understand you have a lab today. I'll show all of you how to use Dark Eco in practical situations."

_Not right at all, _Jak and his friends thought, glancing at each other again. Even though Jak already knew how to use Dark Eco, he still thought Professor Acheron was a little bit on the crazy side.

"So, you said Circuits, did you?" Gol asked Keira, "Instead of Blue Eco, we'll look at Dark Eco! Open your books to page two hundred twenty two!"

* * *

"Whoa," Ashelin gasped as they left Physics lab, "That…was frightening."

"Professor Acheron is a maniac!" Daxter cried, "How could they replace Dr. Vin?"

"We've got to find out what happened to him," Torn declared, "Ashelin, can you spy on Veger and your father?"

"I'll try," the Baron's daughter decided, nodding in response. As they walked in the hallway, they spotted Tess, who was in a hurry to get to Robotics.

"Hey guys!" she greeted happily, but her smile faded as soon as she noticed the looks on their faces, "What's wrong?"

"Dr. Vin's been replaced," Keira reported, "And his substitute is insane!"

"What?" Tess gasped, "Replaced? How? And why?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out," Jak said, "Just wait until you see who replaced him."

Tess shuddered. "Do I want to know?" she asked.

Suddenly, the bell rang, and Tess sprinted so that she could get to Robotics. And just like her friends had said, Dr. Vin wasn't there, but a woman was in his place. She had gray skin as well, and she wore mostly orange and green, along with a headdress on her head.

"Settle down, class!" she said in a regal voice, "Now, as you may or may not have heard already, Dr. Vin has been replaced. And I will be taking over Robotics. For those of you who may not know me already, I am Professor Maia Acheron. My brother, Gol, has taken over Physics already."

"My friends were right," Tess mumbled under her breath, and unfortunately, Maia heard her.

"Is there something you want to share with the rest of the class, Tess?" she asked in a falsely sweet voice.

"No, Professor Acheron," Tess answered, "It's just…what happened to Dr. Vin?"

Smirking, Maia tilted her head to the side, folded her hands neatly, and said, "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You'll find out eventually. Now, I understand that you have not been building robots like you were supposed to. Today, I will show you how to construct a simple one using Dark Eco."

"Dark Eco?" someone in the back gasped.

Maia nodded. "Yes, Dark Eco," she repeated, "When I was younger, I built all sorts of Precursor robots, so I am sure I will be able to teach you the same."

Tess sat back in her seat and sighed. What did Maia mean by her comments from before? _This is going to be a long period, _she thought, blowing her blonde bangs out of her forehead.

Meanwhile, since Physics with Gol Acheron was over, Principal Veger and Erol walked around the building together, contemplating their current situation. "Now what?" Erol asked, "So you got two substitute teachers. Is that the only part of your plan?"

"No," Veger responded, "Going after Jak in front of the whole school would look bad now, after he saved my life." He stopped and sighed for a minute.

"But," he continued, "After what you told me about Tess and Dr. Vin, I think it's time we switched targets for a while. She must know something, or else the old scientist wouldn't have gotten so paranoid. You know what to do."

"Yes, Principal Veger." Satisfied, Veger walked away, leaving Erol in the hallway by himself. Looking around, the redhead spotted another student walking by, ran over to her, and grabbed her wrist.

"So," he started, grinning mischievously to himself, "Did you hear about why Dr. Vin was fired?"


	30. Ugly Whispers and Questions

All right! Next chapter of "Haven High" is here! As always, don't forget to read and review! And enjoy! :)

**DISCLAIMER: **Everything belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

Something was different in the air, Tess was quick to notice, as she entered the cafeteria with Keira, Ashelin, and Rayn. As soon as the three of them walked into the room, the loud chatter died down, and all the heads turned to face the four girls.

At first, none of the girls knew what to do, but when the other students only continued to stare, Ashelin frowned and placed one of her hands on her hips. "Hey!" she snapped, "Is this 'Stare At Haven City Girls Day'? What's with all of you?"

There was silence for another minute or two, and then suddenly, Grim stood up from where he, Mog, and Erol were sitting and whistled at Tess. "How rude," Rayn hissed to the others.

"Hey, Tess!" Grim shouted, "How come you never told us you were extra friendly with Dr. Vin?"

Tess gasped in shock. "_What_?" she cried, "What are you talking about?"

"I didn't know the Physics professor went for young women. Looks like he knows the Physics, if you know what I mean." He and Erol began cracking up as they high-fived each other. Everyone around them began to laugh as a blush crept up Tess's cheeks.

"Shut it, Grim!" Keira snarled, "You're lying!"

Even though Tess was silent the whole time, she gripped her tray in her hands, and Ashelin could tell she was getting angry. "Whoever spread that _rumor _is lying!" she replied, "It's not true!"

"You don't have to hide it," Grim quipped, "Everyone knows. No wonder you always spoke so highly of him." All the others began to whisper to each other while glancing at Tess, which was making her angrier and more embarrassed every minute.

_Erol, _she thought, realizing who was the culprit behind all this. "Here," she said to Rayn, handing her friend her lunch tray, "Hold this for me, please."

"What are you doing?" Krew's daughter asked, but Tess only marched towards where Erol was sitting, and the others decided to follow her in order to defend her if necessary.

As Tess moved to stand in front of Erol, the redhead looked up and smirked. "I told you things looked suspicious that night," he said to her, "I can't believe you did that."

In a burst of fury not unlike Jak's bouts of anger, Tess reached forward, grabbed Erol's tray, and shoved it into his lap, pouring the contents of his plate and cup onto his shirt and pants. For a minute, everyone remained silent, gasping at the fact that the usually docile Tess would go so far as to nearly physically assault someone else. Even Keira, Ashelin, and Rayn couldn't think of anything to say at first.

"She's crazy!" someone on the other side of the room gasped.

"Not just crazy!" another student piped up, "She's as psychotic as Jak!"

Whirling around, Tess faced all the other students and yelled, "Fine, then! Believe whatever you want! I don't have to deal with this!"

"Tess is right!" Keira added in agreement, "_Clearly, _all of you are willing to believe anything you hear. Well, you can all go to hell for that!"

"Keira!" Erol hissed, glaring at his ex-girlfriend, who rounded on him with a frightening look in her eyes.

"Don't start with us," she warned him, "We know you and Veger were behind this. We should have known it was you two after what we saw this morning." The racing captain didn't reply, but merely frowned at the Green Sage's daughter.

"Come on, Tess," Ashelin whispered to the blonde teenager, "Let's get out of here. We don't need to eat with people who are on Veger's side." And much to the shock of the student body, the four girls set their trays down and marched out of the cafeteria, with Kleiver watching them in admiration from behind the lunch counter. From behind her, Tess could hear the students whispering about her.

"That's why she was getting such good grades in Physics and Robotics," they were saying, "It wasn't because of her brains." These rumors infuriated Tess, but she would have to tough it out.

"Are you okay?" Rayn asked, facing her friend. Tess sighed.

"No, I'm not," she answered, feeling tears prick the corner of her eyes, "I can't believe Erol and Veger would stoop so low."

"I can," Ashelin said, "Don't worry. We'll get them back. We'll prove those rumors aren't true. We'll tell the others what happened."

"Tell the others about what?" Jinx's familiar sarcastic voice asked out of nowhere, and the four girls looked up to see Jak, Daxter, Jinx, and Torn approaching them from the math wing of Haven High.

"Erol," Ashelin fumed, as Tess was too upset to talk about the incident in the cafeteria.

"He spread a rumor that Tess was having an affair with Dr. Vin," Rayn added, and the boys' mouths dropped open in horror.

"Where is that _creep_?" Daxter snapped, "I'll tear his face to shreds again! Because _nobody _messes with my woman and gets away with it!" Tess looked up as the ottsel crawled onto her shoulder from Jak's shoulder and couldn't help but feel silently touched.

"It was him and Veger," Keira reported, "They had this planned the whole time. I'm sure of it."

"What are we going to do for now?" Torn inquired, staring at Tess with a concerned look on his face.

"Let's go see if we can eat off-campus," Jak suggested, "We shouldn't have to stay trapped here if we don't have to."

However, just as they were walking towards the front doors, they spotted Gol and Maia Acheron standing on guard. "Damn," Jak hissed under his breath.

As soon as the new Physics professor noticed them, Gol looked up from his post and glared at them. "What are all of you doing outside the cafeteria at this hour?" he demanded, glaring at them and exhausting his raspy voice. At first, nobody said a word, but then Rayn noticed for a fraction of a second that Jinx was gone to Mar knew where.

"We finished eating early," Ashelin lied, breaking the silence, "And we were wondering if we could take a walk in the gardens outside. It's so beautiful out, you know?"

Gol and Maia glanced out the front door…only to see pouring rain. "Yes, really beautiful," Maia said sarcastically, "Now, why are you really trying to leave?"

But before any of them could answer, the new Robotics teacher continued, "Oh, wait, let me guess: Tess is going off to see the ex-Physics professor. Since he's fired now, it makes everything easier."

"There is nothing going on!" Tess growled, balling her hands into fists.

"Leave her alone!" Daxter snapped.

Suddenly, voices began to echo down the hallway, and everyone looked up to see low-grade Dark Eco bombs sailing in the air. Gol and Maia stared at each other in horror. "Who released those bombs?" Gol demanded in a frightening tone of voice, "I specifically told the others that only we were to handle the Dark Eco we brought into the school."

"Let's go investigate." And with that, the Acheron siblings were gone, leaving the others mystified.

"Well," Rayn gasped, "That was interesting."

"If they're not coming back any time soon, we might as well just leave the campus," Torn decided, and as they were exiting Haven High, Jinx appeared through the smoke of the bombs and smirked in victory.

"So," he started, "How did you ballerinas like my little diversion?"

"You're amazing, Jinx!" Keira gasped, "Thank you." Rayn just beamed at him.

"Let's get out of here," Jinx whispered, and all eight of them left quickly before Gol and Maia could return to their posts.

Even though the rain was falling heavily, the others didn't care; they just wanted out of Haven High School for just a minute. "So I guess we're going to the Bazaar?" Ashelin said to the others. The rest of her friends nodded.

"Where do you want to go, Tess?" Daxter asked, staring at his crush in genuine concern.

"Anywhere that isn't in that stupid school," she replied, "I think the Bazaar would be nice." And opening their umbrellas, as well as lifting their hoods over their heads, they made their way over to the marketplace, which was right down the street from Haven High. It wasn't as far away as they had hoped, but it was at least out of the confinements of the school for a while.

All eight of them sat down in the middle of the square, right next to the fruit stands, as they bought food from vendors nearby. And taking shelter underneath some of the larger umbrellas, they began to eat, but Tess wasn't her usual upbeat self.

"Aww, cheer up, baby!" Daxter said to her in an attempt to make her smile, "Those losers don't know what they're talking about!"

"Daxter's right," Jak added, "You know nothing is going on." Tess smiled weakly, but only picked at her food.

Jak decided to try another approach. "Look," he sighed, "I know it's bad now, but-"

"I don't think you know how bad I feel, Jak," Tess interrupted, looking up at him.

Glancing at Keira, Jak took her hand in his and continued, "I do know. People have been whispering about me since I've been here."

Looking down at her lap again, Tess whispered, "Oh, right. I'm sorry."

"Just ignore the others. That's what I do whenever they start talking about me."

"Jak's right," Keira piped up, "The others will realize Erol and Veger are liars."

"And just think," Ashelin jumped in once Keira was finished, "Erol's going to have to clean himself up after what you did to him. I mean, did you see the way you spilled his yakkow burger on him? He won't mess with you after that." Tess laughed quietly, wiping some tears from her eyes.

"I guess that was pretty funny," she choked.

"You bet," Rayn said, grinning from ear to ear as the boys gaped at Tess.

"You spilled the creep's lunch on him?" Daxter gasped, grinning and making cat noises.

"It was spontaneous," Tess mumbled, "But I did."

"Tess," Daxter said in response, "You are quite the woman!"

"She pulled an 'Ashelin' if you ask me," Keira laughed. That made Torn chuckle and wrap his arm around the Baron's daughter.

Once the laughter quieted down, Tess asked quietly, "What do you think is going to happen when we go back?"

"We'll stick together," Jak declared, "All of you stayed by my side, so now it's time for me to return the favor." Tightening his grip on Keira's hand, he took one of Tess's hands as Daxter held the other one, and just like the days after Jak's first suspension, the whole group linked hands again, vowing to stick together until the end.

"Thanks, guys," Tess whispered, feeling a lot better than she had earlier.

"It's what friends do," Keira told her, smiling.

* * *

Forty minutes later, the group decided to return to Haven High to finish the day. "So, do you think you'll be all right?" Rayn asked.

Tess nodded. "I'll be fine," she assured the others. Granted, she was still upset over the rumors, but it wasn't going to ruin the rest of her life.

"Just hang in there, baby," Daxter whispered, "We're here for you." Patting her shoulder one by one, the others walked away so that they could go to class, leaving Tess in the hallway by herself.

At first, she remained where she was, but then, she realized she couldn't stand in the hallway for the rest of the day, so she decided to head to Physics early. Out of nowhere, however, a voice suddenly greeted her.

"Oh, Tess," Principal Veger sighed, "I've heard the awful rumors being spread about you today. You must feel terrible."

Whirling around, Tess faced Veger and narrowed her eyes. "You _heard _the rumors?" she echoed in disbelief, "More like you _started _them!"

Tilting his head to the side, the principal smirked. "You are quite bright, aren't you?" he asked condescendingly, "You know you can tell me anything. I'm sure you're upset at Vin for putting you in this position." Tess didn't say a word. _Lies,_ she thought, _All lies. _

"I just need to know if he told you anything before he left," Veger said, "Since you two were so close."

Tess frowned. "He didn't tell me anything," she lied, "And even if he did, I would never tell you after what you and Erol tried to pull off this morning."

Veger laughed evilly. "Continue to talk big, then, young lady," he warned, "I will find out what you know. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to find Jak and talk to him as well. Enjoy the rest of your day." Patting her on the shoulder as well, he strolled away, folding his hands behind his back. Tess just stared after him in confusion.

Meanwhile, Principal Veger roamed Haven High's hallways, trying to see if he could spot Jak. He had memorized the Wastelander's schedule by now, so he knew that Jak often spent his free period in the library. Entering through the large doors, he looked around for a minute before laying eyes on Jak and Daxter. The two of them were sitting at a table in the far corner, their faces hovered over textbooks. Whistling to himself, he nonchalantly approached them, pulled a chair out, and sat down next to Jak.

"What are you doing here, Principal Vegan?" Daxter asked, noticing the larger man.

"It's _Veger_!" he hissed quietly so that he wouldn't disturb the other students, "I want to speak to Jak for a minute."

"What for?"

"That's between me and Jak."

Leaping down from Jak's shoulder, the ottsel decided to go look at the printers in the back. Once Veger and Jak were alone, the principal decided to get to the point.

"All right, Jak," he started, "I've got to ask you something."

"What?" Jak asked, not taking his eyes off his Calculus book.

"What you did in the Wasteland that day," Veger sighed, "I've been feeling so…_confused _about it. Why?"

"You mean why did I save your life?"

Veger nodded. "Yes, that would be it," he answered.

Jak finished the problem he was working on and looked up at the principal. "You want to know why I saved you?" he asked, closing his book and standing up. Veger nodded again.

"Because I'm not like you." He turned to leave when Veger stopped him.

"Jak, wait," he started, but the Wastelander didn't want to stick around for much longer.

"I've got to get to Biology now. Come on, Daxter!" Daxter scurried away from the printers and onto his friend's shoulder as they sprinted out of the library. _I've got to stop him, _the principal thought, getting up and following the two teenagers out of the room.

"Jak!" Veger cried, causing Jak to turn around.

"Just hear me out for a minute."

"Why should I?" the Wastelander asked, "I saved your life. Simple as that." And before Veger could say anything else, Jak and Daxter were gone. What could Veger say to that? He wanted to know more about the boy he had dubbed a "Dark Eco Freak" months ago. And the only way to do that was to not only sit in on his Physics class, but all of his other classes as well. _I will figure Jak out, _he vowed to himself.


	31. The Shade in Between

All right! This chapter is going to be a little different from the previous chapters. It's centered around Veger and Erol (yeah! :P). Some questions will probably be raised, but they should be answered in no time. I figured it was time to give the bad guys some of the spotlight for a little bit, since the heroes get most of it. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, like always! Don't forget to read and review! :)

**DISCLAIMER: **Everything belongs to Naughty Dog.

_Italics- _Letters

* * *

With Jak gone, Principal Veger felt even more at a loss than before, which prompted him to go out into the gardens to do some thinking. The rain had cleared up by now and the sun was starting to poke through the clouds once more. As he walked outside, Veger thought about how he loved the moment after the rain stopped. The temperatures were not too cold and not too hot, but the sun would eventually warm everything up again. Sitting on one of the benches, he began to look around.

"Principal Veger?" he heard Erol ask from far away, and Veger silently cursed to himself. He had been hoping to have a moment to himself, but he supposed he didn't mind the redhead being there, either. Veger turned to face the teenager, who was sporting a large stain on his shirt and pants.

"Precursors!" the principal gasped, "What happened to you?"

"Tess found out we started the rumors and she spilled my lunch on me."

At first, Veger burst out laughing, but quieted down as soon as he noticed the scowl on Erol's face. "Oh, I'm sorry, Erol," he apologized, "I'll lend you some gym clothes for the rest of the day."

"Thanks." The teenager moved forward to sit down next to the principal.

"Sir?" he asked, "Do you think we went too far this time? What if Tess was telling the truth? What if nothing was going on in the first place?"

Veger raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you're growing soft, Erol," he replied, "You can't do that at this point! We need to find the Precursors! We need to find out what she knows or doesn't know. And that paranoid Physics professor is a key as well."

Before Erol could get another word in, Veger continued, "Besides, I know what this is all about."

"What are you talking about?" Erol asked worriedly.

"This is still about Keira Hagai, isn't it?"

The redhead shook his head vigorously. "No," he insisted, even though he realized that was part of it. After Tess had spilled his lunch on him and Keira had snapped at him, he had realized he had upset her by bullying one of her friends. He had practically heard the unspoken, _I thought you said you would change _in her tone of voice. He had told her things would be different, and other than getting help with the AA (which he still went to), nothing else had changed.

"Anyway," he said, shaking his head, "What are you doing out here, Principal Veger?"

Veger sighed. "I've been thinking more about Jak," he answered, "And how he saved my life."

"What's there to think about? He saved you."

"I know that!" Veger snapped, "It's just that…all my life, I've seen everything in black and white. The Precursors, Light Eco, and Haven High were all good, and I thought Dark Eco and Jak were evil. But now that something 'evil' has saved me, it's created a shade of gray. Maybe I was wrong about Jak. Maybe he isn't evil like I thought he was. Maybe I don't have to be as scared of Dark Eco as I used to be, or darkness in general."

Erol cocked his eyebrows. "I've never heard you talk like this, Principal Veger," he commented, smirking, "Maybe _you're _the one growing soft. Maybe you're actually beginning to like Jak after all."

Veger shook his head. "I wouldn't say I _like _him," he corrected matter-of-factly, "I just…respect him, that's all. Don't tell anyone I said that."

Erol grinned wolfishly. "What?" he asked, "You don't want anyone knowing you can be good, too?"

"Very funny. Now, take my key and go into my office. Gym clothes should be waiting for you there." He handed his office key over to Erol.

"Thank you, sir," the redhead thanked him before leaving, "And I won't tell anyone what you said, especially Jak."

"Good." And as Erol walked away, he turned for a minute to see the principal close his eyes and tilt his face towards the sun.

Veger enjoyed the warmth of the sun on his face and thought about how it gave light to the planet. Opening his eyes again, he looked around at the rays bursting through the blossoming trees. It was that time of year again.

Suddenly, a cloud moved in front of the sun, blocking out the sunlight and creating a moment of shade. For a minute, Veger felt his heart rate pick up and a sweat break out on his forehead. He didn't want the temporary darkness to be there. Not after what he went through as a child.

However, he then continued to think about how nice the shade felt. His face was a little too warm from the sun, and he discovered how nice it was to have the slight breeze cool off his cheeks until the sun reappeared. He shivered slightly, but grew accustomed to the darkness. "This…isn't so bad," he gasped to himself.

Once the cloud moved, the sun was back, but Veger found that he wasn't ready for the light again. He wanted more of the shade, so he moved over close to some of Samos's plants and crouched in the darkness. _Well, I'll be damned, _he thought, _I'm actually enjoying the shade! Maybe the world needs both in order to survive. There's that gray line again. _

* * *

Turning the key to the principal's office, Erol quietly went inside, aiming to find the gym clothes so that he could leave. "There they are!" he muttered to himself, grabbing them and turning to go. However, something was bothering him.

During one of their talks, Veger had mentioned that Dr. Vin had tried to take an envelope from his desk. Since it was the middle of the day, Erol didn't think it would be too bad to just take a look around the desk, so setting the clothes down on the floor, he opened the same drawer Vin had broken into and reached for the envelope. _Maybe I should have gotten a drink while I was at it, _he thought as he began flipping through the papers, becoming more and more shocked by what he was seeing. The first paper was a photograph of Vin, and there were multiple holes around his face as if Veger had used his picture as the bulls-eye for a dartboard.

Next was a note.

_Operation: Shield Wall has, so far, been a failure. I have been trying to convince Vin to fix it for me, but he refused every time. I am not quite sure why he is so adamant about leaving the gate to Dead Town broken, but I will find out. He has always been this way, ever since we were children. I've never hated anyone quite like I hate the Physics professor. I'll never forget what he did to me, and when I get the opportunity, I'll get him back for it. _

"What the hell?" Erol asked out loud, setting the note down and looking at the next letter after that. _This is crazy, _he thought as he read the angry words written in Precursor lettering on the paper.

* * *

_Day 27 _

_My best friend, Vin, and I are going out to the ruins today to see if there is anything interesting. Nobody knows, of course, but it doesn't hurt to look all the same. _

* * *

_Day 27- Much Later_

_This was the worst day of my life. _

_In the morning, Vin and I met up outside the Power Station, like we always did, before going out to the ruins. "Hi, Veger!" Vin, who was eight years old at the time, greeted, "Ready?" _

_"Yeah!" I cried, "Let's go." Our parents were very relaxed about us walking around by ourselves, so we knew that wouldn't be a problem. As soon as we approached the gate, it sensed we were there and allowed us to go through. We both instantly remembered the Metal Head raid that had taken place here, and how a very young Baron Praxis had pulled the gate back. Nobody should have died out here. _

_"Vin!" I cried, pointing at a hut that still remained standing in the corner, "Look at that!" _

_Pushing his glasses up his nose, my best friend moved to stand next to me. "Wow," he gasped, "How long has that been there?" _

_"Mar only knows," I replied, "Let's go check it out!" _

_"I-I don't know, Veger. It d-doesn't look safe." _

_"Oh, come on! We're young, and we only live once!" _

_Vin thought about it for a minute. "Oh, all right," he decided, pushing past me and leading the way. It took a while, but we managed to climb up the crumbling walls. Vin was a nervous wreck the whole time, but I didn't mind; I was there for him, just like he was there for me. Or so I thought. _

_Just as we were getting ready to go inside the hut, the ground began to shake around us. "W-what's that?" Vin stammered. _

_"I hear footsteps," I whispered, leaping down to look at the water below us, "It's the remaining Metal Heads! Run!" Grabbing Vin's hand, I began to lead us back to the gate without attracting the Metal Heads' attention. It worked for the most part, except when Vin fell into the dirty water by accident and created a large splash. The Metal Heads looked up, spotted us, and began to sprint towards us. _

_"Quickly!" I cried, "Back to the gate!" _

_Suddenly, another rumble echoed around us, and a giant sinkhole began to form. Vin continued to run, but I unfortunately got caught in the hole, losing my footing and sinking at least ten feet into the ground. "Veger!" Vin cried. _

_"Vin!" I shouted, "Vin, help me! Get me out of here!" _

_But before my best friend could answer, a wave of dirt flew over me, effectively covering the hole and leaving me in the pitch black. "Vin!" I choked, "Vin!" But I only heard his panicked footsteps as he ran away from the Metal Heads. _

_"No! Don't leave me here, Vin!" But Vin was gone, and all I could hear above me was the scurrying of the Metal Heads, who were surely hunting for me. I began to hyperventilate, thinking about how I couldn't breathe as well as I would have liked. My heart began to beat faster, and I blinked furiously as I tried to adjust to the darkness. It was overwhelming, and every time I heard the metal beasts move closer to the dirt above me, I shrank against the wall. I never realized how much I hated the dark until that point. It was too quiet. Even worse, my best friend didn't seem like he was coming back for me. _

_After hours of waiting in that hole, the ground above me quieted down, and to my relief, I realized that the Metal Heads were gone. All I could concentrate on at that point was getting out of there alive. There wasn't much oxygen, so I had to take deep breaths in order to calm down. Dirt was beginning to fall around me, making me feel even more claustrophobic than I already felt. Reaching into the wall in front of me, I dug my fingers into the dirt, hoping that I would be able to climb up and out of the sinkhole. However, I kept falling back down, and the hole was sinking every couple of minutes. _I've got to get out of here! _I thought frantically as I scurried up the wall again. I kept sliding back to the bottom, but human instinct had kicked in. With bursts of speed, I scaled my way to the top, pushing some of the dirt aside so that I could push my way through. As soon as I made it back to the top, I breathed a sigh of relief and gulped in as much air as possible. I was surprised I hadn't perished down there, given that I was buried alive for a long time. _

_After coughing some dirt out of my lungs, I began to stagger back towards the gate, only thinking about how dark it was around me. I hated it, and Vin as well. How could he leave me like that? I always knew he was paranoid, but I didn't think he would let that get in the way of the fact that his best friend was in trouble. _Vin, _I thought angrily, balling my hands into my fists as the gate opened in front of me. _

_"It's good to see you still alive," the robotic voice announced, making me even angrier. I would have my revenge on Vin for his cowardly act, even if I had to wait a long time! _

* * *

"Oh Mar," Erol gasped as he shut the envelope and placed it back into the drawer. He sat on the floor for a minute as he contemplated what to do next. The only reasonable thing to do was to find Dr. Vin and ask him for his side of the story, as well as why he was trying to steal that envelope about himself in the first place.


	32. Blackmail

Hey everyone! Here's the next chapter of "Haven High". This chapter is now focused on Jinx, who hasn't really had a major role in the story yet. Well, this is his moment, so I hope you enjoy it. Thanks again for all the support! :)

**DISCLAIMER: **Everything belongs to Naughty Dog.

_Italics- _Flashbacks

* * *

The sound of the end-of-day bell rang in Jinx's ears as he dashed to his locker in order to drop off his English textbook. _Damn it, _he thought to himself, _I always forget something to take home with me. _Grabbing his secret box of cigarettes, he reached for his Chemistry textbook, closed his locker, and began to head home. He was going to call his brother, Razer, later on that day to see when the next race of the Haven-Spargus-Kras Tri-City racing championship was taking place. Since Haven City had defeated Spargus, they got to race against Kras High School next.

Before Jinx could get his foot out the door, he heard someone calling his name from behind him. "Jinx!" Erol shouted. The blond teenager stopped for a minute, turned his head slightly, frowned, and then kept walking.

"Jinx, wait up!" Erol yelled again. Sighing under his breath, Jinx turned around.

"What do you want, Erol?" he snapped.

Erol looked offended for a minute before answering, "I didn't know who else to share this with, but you will not believe what I just found out about Principal Veger!"

Scoffing, Jinx replied, "Why are you coming to me about it? Aren't you great pals with the Principal?"

"Yes, but he can't know I know about this!"

"And why should I listen to you? You've made Jakkie Boy's life miserable since the day he's been here, and now you've spread a rumor about Tess!"

The redhead shook his head and quipped, "Yeah, well, forget about that for a minute! This is serious! Besides, after Torn, you were my next closest friend."

Although Jinx wasn't an emotional person to begin with, he was still unmoved by his ex-friend's reasoning. "Times have changed, pretty boy," he responded, "I'm out of here. I've got some things to take care of."

"With Rayn?"

Jinx narrowed his eyes. "That's none of your business!" he snapped, turning to leave. However, Erol was smirking to himself.

"So, Jinx," the redhead started slyly, "Does Rayn know that you knew I was going to jump Jak before it even happened? You know, all those months ago?"

Freezing in his spot, Jinx whirled around and dropped his mouth opens in horror. "You wouldn't!" he gasped.

Erol grinned fully now. "I would," he said, "You never warned them I was going to jump the Dark Eco Freak that day. Imagine how angry Jak will be with you if he finds out."

Pointing his finger at the redhead, Jinx warned, "Erol! Don't you _dare_!" The racing captain laughed to himself, slapping his knee in the process.

"If you listen to what I have to say about Veger, I won't," Erol decided, "But if you walk out the door now, I'll make sure the others know about what you didn't tell them."

"What is this?" Jinx demanded, "Blackmail?"

"I learned from the best." He smirked again, which infuriated Jinx.

"I should have never taught you how to blackmail when we were young," he mumbled to himself.

"Anyway," the redhead continued, "I found out something that I think you guys will be interested in."

Jinx stood silently, listening. "What?" he asked. He had to admit he was a little curious, but at the same time, he knew he couldn't trust Erol anymore. So then why was Erol approaching them with what could be potential information?

* * *

"Poor Tess," Rayn was saying to Keira over the phone later on that evening, "I felt so bad for her at lunch today."

"I know, me too," Keira agreed, "I wish there was something more we could do for her."

"Yeah. We should have a girl's night out tomorrow night. Just you, me, Ashelin, and Tess."

"Sounds good." There was a pause from the other end before Keira spoke up again.

"Oh, Jak's here!" she announced excitedly.

"He is?" Rayn asked.

"Yep. We're going to try working on our Biology homework." _Yeah, right, _Rayn thought to herself, rolling her eyes and chuckling to herself as she hung up. _Jak and Keira seem so happy together, even through all this drama, _she thought to herself, _Speaking of couples, where's Jinx? _

Suddenly, the door bell rang, and assuming it was her boyfriend, Rayn hopped off her bed and practically flew down the stairs in anticipation, passing by Krew. He was hovered by the television, as always, but his daughter never seemed to mind. "I'll get it, Father," she told him, pulling the door open and getting ready to greet her boyfriend.

Indeed, it was Jinx at the door, but he didn't look like his usual, upbeat self. "Hi, Jinx!" Krew's daughter greeted, leaning in to kiss him, "What's wrong?"

After returning the kiss, Jinx replied, "You won't believe what I just found out. We've got to get everyone together."

Rayn widened her eyes. "Come in," she told him, whipping out her phone and calling Keira and the others once more. Once she got a response from everyone, she turned to Krew and woke him up.

"Father," she announced, "All my friends are coming over here for a while."

Opening his eyes and straightening himself out, the Gym teacher replied, "All right, darling. Just make sure they leave before midnight."

"Father…" Rayn sighed, chuckling to herself. Krew laughed as well as the doorbell rang, and Rayn and Jinx's friends entered the house one by one.

"Let's go upstairs to my room," Rayn suggested, and they made their way to the second floor before closing the door.

"So," Tess asked quietly, feeling a lot better after the drama of that day, "What's this all about?"

"Jinx came here telling me he just found out something about Veger," Rayn reported, glancing at her boyfriend. However, he was looking down at the ground, almost in shame.

"I…found this out from Erol," he admitted, eliciting shocked looks from the others, especially Tess and Jak.

"_Erol_?" Jak spat in disgust, "What the hell were you doing with him?"

"Especially after what he's done to me and Jak?" Tess shrieked angrily. Jinx refused to answer, remembering how he had let Jak down by not warning him about Erol. He had been wondering why he hadn't told the others for a while now. And what would happen to him if they did find out?

"It's a long story," he answered half-truthfully.

"We have time for long stories," Ashelin piped up. Jinx began twitching his fingers.

"Look," he snapped in frustration, "Do you people want to hear the information or not?"

Suddenly, Rayn reached out and smacked Jinx in the stomach. "Jinx!" she gasped, "What's wrong with you? Why are you being so secretive all of a sudden?"

Sighing again, the blond teenager kissed Krew's daughter on the cheek. "I'm sorry, sugar," he apologized, "I shouldn't have snapped like that." Everyone waited in silence for their friend to tell his story, but they couldn't figure out why he had decided to listen to Erol instead of backing out.

"All right, here's what I found out," he sighed, sticking an unlit cigarette in his mouth and folding his hands.

* * *

I'm going to regret this, _Jinx thought as he and Erol left Haven High after their confrontation. "All right," he sighed, facing his ex-friend, "What is so important that you have to blackmail me into helping you out?" _

_"I know why Veger hates the darkness," Erol replied proudly, making Jinx roll his eyes. That attitude soon changed, however, after Erol told him about what he had learned earlier that day. _

_Forgetting to be angry with the redhead for a minute, Jinx widened his eyes. "He thinks Dr. Vin left him to die?" he gasped. _

_Erol nodded, his smirk disappearing. "Yes. But I want to know what Dr. Vin's side is." _

_"Well, that would explain why he was targeting the poor guy for a long time. Do you think he's at the Power Station?" _

_"Probably. You'll have to try speaking to him, though. He won't listen to me." _

_Jinx scoffed. "You've got that right," he replied sarcastically, "After you pulled a prank on his class with that Red Eco." Erol smiled at the memory. _

_The two of them climbed the familiar path up to the Power Station, and Jinx rang the doorbell. They waited in anticipation for the next two minutes before an eye appeared in the peephole. The door slid open to reveal Dr. Vin himself. _

_Gasping in surprise, Vin stammered, "W-what are you two doing here?" _

_"Dr. Vin?" Erol piped up, "We have to ask you something." _

_"Oh, no! I-I'm not answering any questions about w-why I got fired! I already know you're partly responsible, Erol!" He pointed at the racing captain. _

_"Y-you lied to Veger!" he accused, even though the accusations were true, "Y-you knew nothing was going on!" _

_"So I did," Erol sneered, and Jinx glanced in between the two of them, realizing that they were not going to get anything accomplished this way. _

_"Look," Jinx cut in, "To get to the point, we know what happened between you and Veger in the ruins." _

_At this information, Vin paled. "H-how did you find out?" he asked. _

_Pointing his thumb at Erol, Jinx said, "He did." _

_"From the envelope you were trying to steal a few night ago," Erol admitted, looking down at the ground, "Why were you trying to steal it?" _

_Vin narrowed his eyes. "Why should I tell you?" he snapped, "You helped get me fired! B-besides, you're going to run back and tell V-Veger anyway!" _

_"No, I'm not, actually!" Erol replied in a similar tone of voice, "Just because I'm working with him doesn't mean I have to tell him everything." _

_"We just want to know your side," Jinx added hopefully. _And hopefully, Erol will leave me alone after this, _he added as a silent afterthought. _

_Vin looked around for a minute before ushering the two boys inside. Before they followed him, however, Erol grabbed Jinx by the wrist. "Remember what I told you," he hissed, which caused Jinx to bear his teeth in anger. After flipping the bird at his ex-friend, Jinx entered the Power Station and sat down next to Vin. _

_"You don't have to tell us the whole story," Jinx assured the paranoid former teacher in front of him, "Just the gist." _

_"W-which part?" _

_"When Veger became trapped in that hole," Erol replied. _

_"Oh!" Vin gasped, "W-well, I heard him screaming and crying in there. Somehow, I managed to avoid getting stuck with him. But the Metal Heads were g-gaining on us." _

_"So what happened?" Jinx asked, sticking a cigarette in his mouth. _

_"T-there was nothing I could do," Vin explained in a shaky voice, "So I-I decided to leave and get help. But nobody would listen to me when I said the Metal Heads were back. _

_"By the time someone finally l-listened to me, hours had gone by, and Veger's parents and I went back out to the ruins to get Veger out of that hole. But he was g-gone. I-I still don't know how he got out to this day, but he's hated me ever since." _

_"So why did he hire you at Haven High, then?" Erol asked, "If he hates you?" _

_Vin widened his eyes behind his glasses. "N-no!" he cried, "No, no, no! You've got it all wrong. Veger wasn't always the principal of Haven High, ya know. It was the superintendant of the district, Dr. Osmo. But Veger ran him out of office as soon as he found out I was working there as a teacher. He started trying to run me out of the school, too. And thanks to you, Erol, it worked after all these years! _

_"I had a good friend, and then I lost him because I did something stupid. Don't either of you ever mess up like I did. Because y-you never know what'll happen!" _

_At those words, Erol glared at Jinx. "Yeah, Jinx!" he snapped, emphasizing the blond teenager's name a little too much. _

_"Shut up, Erol!" Jinx replied, "Anyway, don't feel bad, Dr. Vin. You were trying to do the right thing." _

_"S-still. I-I shouldn't have left him there by himself." At this point, Erol was looking down at his hands with a neutral expression on his face. _

* * *

"And that's the story," Jinx concluded, wrapping his arm around Rayn.

At first, nobody said anything, until Jak broke the silence. "Still," he said, "_Erol_?"

"I know," Jinx whispered, "But what do you think of all this?"

"I think we need to try and get Dr. Vin back," Ashelin decided, "He's the only one who can possibly talk some more sense into Veger."

"I agree," Keira piped up. And amongst their whispering, nobody noticed the anguished look Jinx was giving Jak.


	33. The Return of Razer: Part One: Greetings

Whew! I'm finally back with the next chapter of "Haven High"! This is pretty much a filler chapter leading into the next event. Enjoy! :)

**DISCLAIMER: **Everything belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

The next weekend…

"Come on, buddy!" Daxter shouted at Jak as his friend ran around the living room, grabbing a water bottle and his racing goggles, "Damas is ready to drive all of us over to Kras!"

"I'm coming!" Jak replied, fixing his racing shirt and locking the front door behind him. Damas peered out of the driver's seat and grinned at his son.

"Ready to race against Kras?" he asked.

"You bet!" Jak answered as he and Daxter climbed into the car and drove over to Keira's house, "Hopefully, there aren't any Metal Heads this time."

"We'll make sure they aren't!" Daxter assured the Wastelander, "I wonder if Veger's going to be there."

"You know he is."

"Probably. Don't save his life this time if he falls in a ditch!"

Jak chuckled quietly as they arrived at Keira's house. The Green Sage's daughter was outside already, anxiously waiting for her friends.

"Hi, Jak!" she greeted, kissing Jak on the lips, "Ready to race?"

"Yeah," Jak replied, smiling, let's go." And following that, Damas drove the van around and picked up Jinx, Ashelin, Torn, Tess, and Rayn.

"Kras City!" Rayn cried, "It'll be good to be back there! Jinx and I had an amazing time there over Christmas! Right, Jinx?"

At first, Jinx didn't answer, until Krew's daughter poked him gently. "Jinx?" she asked.

Jinx looked up from his lap. "What?" he asked, "Oh, yeah. Sure."

Torn frowned. "Is everything all right?" he asked his friend, "You've been quiet ever since you met up with…_him_."

"What?" Jinx gasped, "No, I haven't!"

"Yes, you have!" Tess snapped, "I still can't believe you even talked to him!"

"Look, I'm sorry!" Jinx growled, "It's just that he…" _Blackmailed me, _he added as a silent afterthought, _Damn my cowardice! _

"He what?" Keira quipped.

"Nothing. Just forget about it."

"Jinx," Ashelin began in a low voice, "What aren't you telling us?"

"Nothing!" Jinx insistently, "Let's just focus on the race. The rest of you are going to meet my brother, Razer."

"Whatever," the Baron's daughter responded, shrugging and resting her head on Torn's shoulder.

The rest of the ride was uncomfortably silent, but the others soon looked out the windows and noticed how the highways and roads changed. Everything looked more modern, even more so than Haven City, and the buildings were smoother. Advanced Zoomers flew over the group's head, and some rather intimidating looking vehicles drove right next to them.

"Check out Kras High!" Daxter suddenly cried, pointing to an intricate building right in the middle of the city. A football field was situated in the center, and the school was divided up into smaller buildings. Having never been to Kras City, Jak had to admit it was amazing to see it in action, especially after Jinx and Rayn had gone on about it.

"Well, there's the start of the race track!" Damas announced, "Why don't all of you get out and find the others? I'll find parking. Good luck, everyone!" He grinned at the large group and then pulled off.

"Who's racing this time?" Keira asked with interest.

"Me, Ash, Jinx, Jak…and Erol," Torn replied, pointing to all of them in turn.

"Good luck, guys!" Tess told them, smiling and hugging all of them. Everyone was just glad she was finally feeling better after all the drama of this week.

"Thanks," Jak thanked her.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, all of them heard someone clearing his or her throat, and the group turned to see Veger and Erol standing behind them.

"Well," the principal started, "This is the second division of the race, Jak. Think you can beat them all again?"

"I can try," Jak responded neutrally. He couldn't help but picture a terrified, eight-year-old Veger trapped in that sinkhole in the ruins.

To everyone's surprise, even Erol's, Veger opted not to reply with a nasty comment, as usual, but instead, he nodded. "Good luck," was all he said before turning to go, leaving Erol with the others.

"Mind telling us what _that _was all about?" Daxter asked the redhead.

Erol shrugged, remembering what Veger had said about secretly respecting Jak. "You've got me," he said noncommittally.

"Anyway, I need to talk to Jinx, if the rest of you don't mind."

Everyone glared at Jinx, who was just starting to light a cigarette. "No, thanks, pretty boy," Jinx declined, "I have to find Razer." He began to hurriedly lead the others away when Erol surprised them by grabbing his ex-friend's arm.

"No!" he snapped, "You're not going anywhere!"

"Get your hand off me!" Jinx snapped, trying to pry off Erol, even though the racing captain had a surprisingly strong grip.

"Jinx," Erol hissed, "I warned you!"

"Back off!" Taking his lit cigarette out of his mouth, Jinx made a slight burn on Erol's wrist, which allowed him to break free.

After glancing down at the cigarette burn, Erol narrowed his eyes in fury. "That's it, Jinx!" he snarled, "You asked for it!" He then turned to the others, fixing his gaze on Jak.

"Ask your _friend _about how he knew I was going to jump Jak a few months ago!" Spitting on the pavement, he hurried away, leaving Jinx at the mercy of his friends. At first, nobody said anything, until Jak finally broke the silence.

"Jinx," he started in a low whisper, "Is that true?"

Jinx looked up from the ground in shame. "Jak…" he started before Rayn cut him off.

"You _knew _that was going to happen?" she shrieked, "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Guys, wait," Jinx began, but once again, the others interrupted him.

"How could you, Jinx?" Ashelin shouted, "Were you planning on jumping Jak that day?"

"_What? _Of course not!"

"Then why didn't you say anything?" Jak roared, feeling his skin crackle, a warning sign to the others.

"You could have prevented all this from happening if you had spoken up!" Torn piped up, "Nobody would have _known _about Dark Jak if this hadn't happened!"

"Look, I'm sorry," Jinx apologized, "I didn't know Erol was actually going to go through with it!"

"_Sure _you didn't," Rayn growled, "You made Jak look like the bad guy this whole time! How can we ever trust you again after this?"

"Rayn," the blond teenager began again, but he couldn't think of anything else to say after what happened next. Rayn stepped forward, raised her right hand, and slapped her boyfriend square across the face. Jinx felt tears of pain sting his eyes, but he didn't cry, even though his cheek burned. The others just stood and stared, shocked. They had never seen Krew's daughter behave like this.

"Next time," Rayn fumed, "Think before deciding to take the _coward's _way out!" And with that, she turned, pushed past her friends, and marched away.

"Thanks a lot, Jinx," Tess snapped angrily, "It's your fault we're going through all this, you know." She about-faced and followed Rayn. One by one, the others followed suit, only leaving Jak and Daxter to face him.

"Jakkie boy," Jinx whispered. Daxter hissed, and Jak only turned his eyes black before the two of them also walked away without saying a word. Jak didn't think it was necessary to waste Dark Jak on Jinx, so he didn't.

_That's it! _He thought, _No more Mr. Nice Guy. _Turning around, he marched around until he spotted Erol standing in a secluded corner and laughing his head off at Jinx's situation. Fuming, the blond teenager raced towards him and began shoving him.

"You are _so _dead, pretty boy!" he snapped.

Erol just smirked. "Hey, it's not my problem you're too chicken to tell people things," he replied nonchalantly.

"What the _hell _is wrong with you?" Jinx demanded, "Have you always been this _psychotic?_"

"Maybe, maybe not," the redhead said, shrugging.

Fuming, Jinx grabbed Erol by the shirt and shoved him to the ground, thus beginning a physical fight between the two of them. The crowd around them began to roar as the punches and kicks became more and more violent. Jinx had to release his anger somehow.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, someone fired a pistol, quieting down the crowd and stopping Erol from punching Jinx again. "Jinx!" a familiar, accented voice cried, "I didn't expect to greet you like this!"

Jinx shoved Erol's fist away from his face and stood up to see none other than Razer. His older brother was holding a pistol in his hand and a cigar in his other hand.

"Razer!" he gasped, leaping up to hug him.

Messing up Jinx's hair, Razer chuckled and said, "Still getting into fights, I see?"

"This is different!"

"Everyone!" Razer cried, facing the audience, "Go back to what you were doing! There's nothing to see here!" Grumbling in disappointment, the crowd cleared out, leaving Jinx, Razer, and Erol.

"You haven't changed since Christmas," Razer commented, puffing on his cigar.

Jinx sighed. "Stop with the jokes, Raze," he quipped, "I'm in a rut right now."

Razer closed his eyes and nodded. "You're right," he decided, "That was most insensitive of me. I apologize." Jinx lit another cigarette and took a drag in frustration.

"What happened?" Razer asked, beginning to walk with his brother.

"Stupid Erol, that's what!" Jinx fumed, "He always has to ruin everything!" He didn't want to admit that he had been too afraid of Jak's reaction to tell him about the redhead in the first place.

"I see," was all Razer muttered as he threw his cigar away.

"You just don't know how stressful this year has been."

"What's your team going to do for the race against Kras High?"

Jinx looked up, noticing how Razer didn't even seem to care that he was upset over this. "I don't know!" he snapped, "I thought you'd have a solution!"

"Sorry, Jinx," Razer apologized, "But I'm afraid this is something you'll have to figure out yourself. I've got a race to prepare for." Before his brother could say anything else, he walked away.

"So much for caring about me," Jinx muttered under his breath. Looking around slightly, he spotted Jak and the rest of the group gearing up for the race, so he decided to approach them again.

On the other side, Jak, Torn, and Ashelin were slipping into their racing gear. They realized that the Kras racers could be ruthless at times, so they tried to mentally prepare themselves. "Don't worry," Daxter reassured the three of them, "You'll knock them dead!"

"I hope so," Ashelin replied, tying her hair back into a ponytail.

"Is Jinx still going to race?" Keira piped up from next to an angry Rayn.

"Who cares?" Rayn asked in a short tone, "He lied to us! I don't even want to look at him right now!"

"Good point," Keira muttered under her breath.

"Anyway," Torn added, "We can't think about that right now. We've got to win this race!"

A minute later, all of them heard rugged footsteps, and when they looked up, they spotted Jinx, who was sporting a few bruises, a black eye, and some scratches.

At first, nobody knew what to say, but then, a robotic voice announced, "_Attention all racers! The Haven vs. Kras race is about to begin!_"

"Come on, guys!" Ashelin said to Torn and Jak, "We'd better get to the starting line." She led the two boys away, and the others followed them so that they could find the bleachers. None of them said a word to Jinx.

Meanwhile, Razer watched as his younger brother sighed dejectedly and walked away from the growing audience, and a smirk formed on his face. It was wrong, he knew that, but it was still necessary for the times. Now that the Haven High racers were on edge, this would be a good opportunity to defeat them in the race.


	34. The Return of Razer: Part Two: Tension

Hey guys! Here's the next part of "Haven High". It's amazing how one can draw inspiration from real life issues, like the drama in this chapter! And don't worry, Fishy! I forgive you for not reviewing! :)

**DISCLAIMER: **Everything belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

From behind her racing goggles, Ashelin peered at the growing crowd and gulped; she had never officially raced before, so she hoped she would be as good as the boys. "Ashelin," her father used to tell her when she was little, "You can be good at anything you want to be good at. All you have to do is try."

Laughing wryly, Ashelin thought about how that was one of Baron Praxis's rare good moments. Then again, he had been much different when she was younger. There was no time to think about it, though. She needed to focus on the race right now.

The Baron's daughter was just getting ready to go meet Torn and Jak when she suddenly felt a hand reach out of nowhere and grab her wrist. "Gotcha!" an unfamiliar voice cried triumphantly, laughing as Ashelin squirmed to get out of the man's grasp.

"Who the _hell _are you?" she demanded, allowing her left hand, which was her free hand, to go limp next to her.

The man began again. "The name's Shiv," he introduced himself, "I'm under orders to detain you until the end of the race."

_Oh, please, _Ashelin thought to herself. "Please," she scoffed, "You've got to be kidding me. _Orders_? From _you?_"

"That's right, lass."

"Very funny. Now, I've got a race to take part in, if you don't mind." She shook Shiv's hand off and turned to walk away, but something else stopped her.

"You're not going anywhere!" he suddenly snapped, pulling an Eco pistol out of his pocket and pointing it at the Baron's daughter.

"Whoa!" Ashelin gasped, backing up a little bit and raising her hands into the air. She hadn't expected anyone to _ever _pull a gun on her, yet here she was, facing a man who was now aiming an Eco pistol in between her eyes.

"Get in the Zoomer!" Shiv commanded.

Frowning, Ashelin remembered the Eco pistol her father had given her for her sixteenth birthday, and she reached for it and pointed it at Shiv. "I may be the Baron's daughter," she snarled, "But I can fend for myself."

But Shiv wouldn't back down. "I'll give you until the count of three to put your gun down and get in the Zoomer!" he warned, "One…"

Ashelin moved her finger to the trigger, remembering shooting lessons with Baron Praxis.

"Two…"

"If you shoot me," Ashelin hissed, "My father will have you killed." She was bluffing on that last part, but she knew the Baron would at least throw Shiv in prison, if he didn't decide to kill him after all.

"Three." Shiv was about to open fire when frantic voices carried out through the air.

"Hey! Hey!" they snapped, "Let go of us! Get your hands off of us!" Ashelin whipped her head around, pointing her gun in mid air.

"Torn and Jak!" she gasped. Facing Shiv again, she demanded, "What the hell did you do to them?"

Shiv smirked. "My boy, Edje, is taking care of them. And we're about to join them. I told you I was under orders."

"From who?" Ashelin snarled.

"From me," a voice piped up, and the redhead looked up to see Razer standing in front of her, taking a drag from his cigar.

"You!" the Baron's daughter snapped.

"Yes, _me_," Razer replied, "You really shouldn't have gotten into an argument with my brother. And you shouldn't have beaten Spargus High in the other race."

Ashelin gasped. "Take your hands off me!" she snarled, stepping on Shiv's foot and trying to run, but only colliding right into Razer himself. Grinning, he grabbed her by the upper arms and began to drag her over to Edje's Zoomer, where Edje was shoving Jak and Torn into the back.

"You bastards!" Jak yelled, trying to change into Dark Jak, but every push and shove he endured made him unable to concentrate.

"Ashelin!" Torn cried, turning his attention to Shiv, "Let go of my girlfriend!"

As Razer shut the door to the van, he smirked in victory and muttered, "Haven High will meet its end here. With or without my brother."

* * *

Keira, Tess, and Rayn were getting tense; the race was about to begin, and Jak, Torn, and Ashelin were nowhere in sight. "Do you think they're okay?" Keira asked worriedly. "I hope so," Tess replied, glancing around at the rest of the crowd. She spotted Damas in the audience, and he kept looking down at his lap.

"Maybe we should tell him that we haven't seen the others," Rayn piped up.

"You're right," Keira agreed, "Let's go." The remaining girls began to move forward when Jinx suddenly blocked their way.

"What do you want?" Rayn inquired, narrowing her eyes.

"Sugar, just listen to me," Jinx pleaded, "Please."

"Why should we?" Tess added, "You lied to us!"

"You know I didn't mean it, blondie!"

"Then what did you mean? Come on, girls. Let's go." Rayn and Tess walked away, dragging Keira with them before she could say anything.

"Come on, guys," Jinx pleaded again, "I didn't know Erol was going to do that!"

"Shut up, Jinx!" Rayn snapped, "Just shut up!"

"Keira," he replied, glancing at Jak's girlfriend, who didn't say a word the entire time. She just shook her head in disappointment as she followed her friends. Jinx sighed dejectedly and wondered what he was going to do from there. He _did_, however, wonder where Jak, Torn, and Ashelin were.

"So," a voice began, and Jinx whirled around to see Erol yet again, "Have you had enough of taking your anger out on me?"

"Shut up, Erol!" Jinx snapped, "This is all your fault anyway!"

Erol shrugged and looked away just as Razer approached his younger brother again. "So," the older man began slyly, "Have you decided what you're going to do about the race yet?"

"No, I haven't!" the blond teenager growled, "Could you at least _pretend _like you care about me?"

Razer puffed on another cigar. "I _do _care about you, Jinx-y boy," he insisted, "_You're _the one who doesn't care about _me_."

"Don't turn this around on me, Razer!"

"Why not? I'm doing what's best for Haven City. For _you_."

"No, you're not! You're just playing dirty so that Kras can win!"

Razer smirked. "Where are Jak, Torn, and Ashelin, then?" he asked, "Haven't you noticed they've been gone for a while?"

_Gone? _Jinx thought to himself, _How? _It was then that he realized exactly what Razer was talking about. _I'm doing what's best for Haven City, _he had said before adding, _Haven't you noticed they've been gone for a while? _

"You _kidnapped _them?" Jinx shrieked, "Razer!"

"It's for your own good," Razer replied, "Jak has upstaged everyone for too long!"

"You are _twisted_! Utterly _twisted_!"

"Jinx," Razer began, "You don't understand what it's like being here _alone_!"

"_What_? What does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything! You never call, you never visit, Mar _forbid _I try and reach out to you like a brother should! Can't you just let me do this _one _thing for Kras, since you obviously don't give a damn about me?"

At first, Jinx was shocked. This fight had gotten way out of control, and he didn't know what to make of it. "Razer," he whispered.

"Good luck in the race, Jinx," his older brother said, throwing away his cigar, "You'll need it with three of your _precious _racers missing." And before Jinx could say anything else, Razer was gone, pulling out a cell phone and beginning to talk to somebody on the other side.

"Keep the racers there for the duration of the race," he ordered, and Jinx widened his eyes in horror. _This isn't right, _he thought, _I've got to stop him. But how? And with everyone, including Razer, angry with me? _

_

* * *

_

On the other side of the race track, Razer pocketed his phone and looked around at all the smiling and excited faces in the crowd, spotting the rest of Jinx's friends in the process. He shook his head and continued walking. _What have I done? _He thought, taking another cigarette out of his pocket and lighting it, _Why did I snap at my little brother like that? _

Razer had to admit that he felt a little bad for his tirade, but he also felt like it was slightly justified. _He never keeps in touch with me when he's at home, _he thought angrily, _I didn't move out for us to grow apart. I'm his brother! _He had to admit that this had been bothering him ever since Christmas. That was one of the few times they actually got to see each other since Razer had moved to Kras in the first place.

Whatever. He would show Jinx. He would make sure Kras High blew this race right out of the water. "All right, everyone!" he announced to his team, "Listen up! We've got an advantage over those Havenites now. Only one of their racers is still participating, so unless he's the greatest racer since Mar himself, this should be a piece of cake!"

"YEAH!" all of the Kras students cheered, pumping their fists into the air. Razer smiled to himself. Jinx had always been a no-show when it came to caring about him, so this would be his chance to retaliate for the last three years. He hoped that wherever Shiv and Edje had taken Jak, Torn, and Ashelin, that they were keeping them there until the race was over, and maybe possibly doing more with them afterwards.

From the stands, Keira suddenly stood up worriedly. "They're still not here!" she cried.

"What are we going to do?" Rayn and Tess asked, their voices shaking slightly.

Keira narrowed her green eyes, and the others could practically see the wheels turning in her head. "I've got an idea," was all she announced to the others.


	35. The Return of Razer: Part Three: Victory

Hey, guys! Wow, it's been a long time since I updated this. I'm so sorry for the wait. There's been so much drama going on in school and I haven't had time to update. So here's the next chapter of "Haven High"! I hope you enjoy it! :)

**DISCLAIMER: **Everything belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

"This _would _happen to me," Jak muttered as he once again tried to break free from his restraints. On either side of him, Torn and Ashelin also struggled to free themselves, but to no avail.

"How are we going to win the race now?" Ashelin added as she tried to reach for her secret knife…only to realize that Razer had stolen it from her just before Shiv and Edje had thrown the three of them into the back of the van.

"I've got an idea," Jak said, "Watch out, though." Concentrating his anger towards Jinx and Erol, he turned into Dark Jak, effectively breaking his chains and freeing himself. Being careful not to hurt Torn or Ashelin, he circled around them and used his strength to get them out as well. He then clutched his head as he reverted back to normal.

"That was easy," Torn commented, "Let's get out of here." They were almost to the door when Shiv and Edje suddenly appeared with Razer in tow.

"Aha!" Razer cried triumphantly, lighting up once more, "Where do you three think you're going?"

"Let us out!" Ashelin demanded, "We have to get to the race!"

"No, you don't. It's about time your school lost."

Jak frowned, but tried his hardest not to change into Dark Jak. "Besides, I think my brother will be fine without you three," the older man continued with a smirk on his face.

"Why did you kidnap us?" Torn asked.

"I was tired of you always winning everything. I heard about your victory in Spargus a few weeks ago, despite the Metal Head attack afterwards." He flicked his gaze to Jak.

"Jinx told me a lot about you," Razer continued, "You're the champion, aren't you?" Jak growled.

"Of course you are. I wasn't about to let you defeat Kras, too. And Jinx…I had to get back at him for not speaking to me."

"You're sick!" Ashelin snapped.

"Sit down!" Edje growled, grabbing her and pushing her back down into the chair.

"Leave her alone!" Torn yelled, racing forward to tackle him, but Shiv restrained the auburn-haired boy as well, leaving Jak to Razer.

"Looks like Haven City will lose this time," Razer taunted, blowing smoke in the Wastelander's face.

* * *

"Has anybody seen my son?" Damas asked as he walked around the bleachers back at the race, "He's supposed to be racing!"

"No," other Kras citizens responded, "Sorry."

"I've got to find him! If any type of foul play is going on, I'd like to take care of it once and for all!"

From where he was standing, Jinx overheard Damas frantically looking for Jak, and he remembered what Razer had told him about his friends. Gulping and pushing aside the fact that everyone was angry with him at the moment, he marched forward and caught up with Jak's father. "Mr. Damas!" he cried.

"Jinx!" Damas shouted, "What are you doing in the stands? You're supposed to be on the race track!"

"I'm not racing anymore. It doesn't feel right. I overheard you asking about Jakkie-boy before."

"Yes. He's missing. Have you seen him?"

Jinx shook his head. "No," he answered, "But I have some information I think you want to hear…"

* * *

"I hope this works," Tess said as she, Keira, and Rayn hurriedly slipped into some racing gear.

"Don't worry," the Green Sage's daughter assured her friend, "It will. We may not be the best racers, but we can try. We can't let Haven City lose."

"Thanks, Keira," Rayn piped up, "I never would have thought of racing in our friends' places."

"For Haven High," Keira replied, tying her hair back. She was sure her father was going to die in the stands if he saw she was racing, but after Christmas, she knew he wouldn't be as paranoid about it.

As the three girls returned to the race track, they quickly hopped into the remaining three racing vehicles that Jak, Torn, and Ashelin would have raced in. From his car, Erol glanced over at Keira in surprise. She and her friends were going to race?

"Ready…get set…and…GO!" a commentator announced, firing an eco pistol and effectively starting the race. Keira, Tess, and Rayn lowered their racing goggles as things began to heat up. They hoped the others would be all right by the time the race was finished.

* * *

Forced to sit back down once more, Jak, Torn, and Ashelin listened as Razer circled around them and prattled on about how angry he was at Jinx and Haven City. "Do you know what it's like to have a family member not pay attention to you?" he asked the three of them.

"Uhh…no," Torn replied, thinking about his parents.

"When I moved out of Haven," Razer explained, "It was because I had gotten a promotion as the racing coach at Kras High. For years, we suffered from major losses against Spargus High, and I thought that was our chance to succeed again. But then when I heard about Haven High's victory against Spargus, I was afraid. I decided to make my team work hard to win. I wanted to make Jinx proud. But I can see that he wasn't. That was the final straw. That was what made me decide to stop you Havenites from beating us as well. And now you won't."

"That's pathetic!" Ashelin shouted, "You had to kidnap us to piss off your brother?" Granted, she, Torn, and Jak were also angry with Jinx at the moment, but they didn't think that was fair.

"You try having a family member ignore you for years," Razer said, blowing some smoke towards the Baron's daughter, "And you'll see how it feels." Shiv and Edje cracked their knuckles.

Suddenly, the door in the corner of the room flew open, and to everyone's surprise, Jinx and Damas ran inside. "Razer!" Jinx cried, "Stop!"

Razer smiled. "Well, if it isn't Jinxy-boy," he cooed, "We were just talking about you."

"Let them go!" Damas roared, standing up to his full, Wasteland glory. Jak, Torn, and Ashelin all glanced at each other, surprised.

"And who are you?" Razer demanded.

"I'm Jak's father!" Damas introduced himself, "And I was the king of Spargus City! I demand you let my son and his friends go!"

"What if I don't want to?"

"Then I'll make you let them go. They have a race they have to win."

"Not by my call."

"Raze," Jinx snapped, taking his unlit cigarette out of his mouth, "You know this is wrong."

"Oh, no, it's not," Razer denied, waving his brother off, "I already told you why I was doing this."

Suddenly, Jinx tossed his cigarette to the side, ran towards Razer, and tackled him to the ground. "Go!" he shouted to Damas, "Get them out of here!"

"Come on!" Damas cried, "Let's go!" Grabbing Jak, Torn, and Ashelin, he made a beeline for the exit, avoiding Shiv and Edje's attacks as Jinx held his brother in place.

"I'm sorry, Razer," he apologized, "But this has gone far enough. I think we need some time apart."

We already _had _enough time apart. This is why I was doing all of this. To be closer to you again."

"Next time, don't go after my friends." He got up to leave as Razer growled from the floor.

"Brother!" he snarled, "If you walk out that door…" But Jinx was already gone, shutting the door behind him before Razer could get the rest of his threat out.

"JINX!" the Kras racing coach screamed, "I'll get you for this! I'll be back in Haven City!"

Meanwhile, outside, Damas, Jak, Torn, and Ashelin were running as fast as they could to get back to the race track, though they were sure the race was well underway without them at this point. "Don't worry," Damas panted, "We'll make it."

"I hope so," Torn piped up, "How did you and Jinx know we were there?"

"Jinx told me everything. Apparently, Razer had told him about what he had done to you three, and he thought it would be right to let me know. I couldn't just leave you three there, so we decided to get you out."

"Thanks, Dad," Jak thanked him, hugging his father for a minute.

By the time they returned to Kras High, however, the race was over, much to their disappointment. "Looks like we lost," Ashelin sighed sadly. Torn patted her shoulder and then kissed her on the cheek.

"Don't feel bad about it," Damas assured them, "You three have made me so proud today. You were very brave during your ordeal. That matters more than a silly race." The three of them blushed.

"Oh, well," Jak said as they returned to the bleachers, "Let's find the others." They were just on the way out of the emptying bleachers when they heard a few voices behind them.

"Jak! Torn! Ashelin!" they cried, and all four of them turned around to see Keira, Daxter, Tess, and Rayn running towards them with a trophy in their hands.

"You're okay!" Keira shouted in relief, leaning in to kiss Jak on the lips. He eagerly returned it.

"I told you they were alive!" Daxter said with a smug smile.

"What happened to you guys?" Tess demanded, her eyes widening every second.

"We'll tell you later," Ashelin whispered, "What's all this about?" She pointed to the trophy.

"Oh!" Keira gasped, "We won the race!"

Jak, Torn, and Ashelin gasped.

"You three raced for us?" Torn asked, a smile slowly forming on his face.

"Sure did," Tess piped up, "It was all Keira's idea."

"It was a close call," Daxter spoke up in his story-telling voice, "But did these three give up? Not a chance, baby! They blew that race right out of the water!"

"Wow!" Jak gasped, "Congratulations!" He kissed Keira again.

"You should have seen Erol's race when he saw we were racing," Rayn laughed, "Boy, was he surprised."

"I bet," Torn muttered under his breath, "Thanks, you three. We wouldn't have been able to win without you!"

"Anything for Haven High," Keira said, "And our friends." She grinned at Jak as she said this.

"It was weird, though," Ashelin told the others as they began heading back to Damas's van, "Jinx was the one who helped get us out of our situation, even though he knew we were angry with him."

"I wonder why he did that after all of this," Torn added.

* * *

Meanwhile, from where he was lying on the floor, Razer picked himself up and dusted off his coat. Shiv and Edje stood next to him as they delivered some bad news to him.

"Haven High won," Edje reported, "Apparently, there were some backup racers this whole time."

"Shut up, Edje!" Razer snapped, "I don't want to hear that. Jinx shouldn't have come here. I think it's time I moved back to Haven City."

Shiv and Edje gasped. "Are you sure?" they asked.

"Yes, I'm sure! Jinxy-boy needs to be taught a lesson on respecting his older brother." Razer lit another cigar and took a big drag on it, blowing the smoke out into the air and watching as it dissipated slowly.


	36. The Green Sage's Lament

Hey hey hey! I'm so sorry I haven't updated this in a while! The work load is getting crazy now, especially with finals approaching! But I did have time to get this filler chapter up. Enjoy! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed! I appreciate it! :)

**DISCLAIMER: **Everyone belongs to Naughty Dog.

_Italics- _Dream sequence

* * *

"What do you think of this apartment?" Razer asked Shiv, Edje, and Cutter a few days later as the four of them visited different apartments around Haven City.

"This one is nice," Cutter answered, pacing around the living room of one near the Bazaar, "I say we pick this one."

"Then it's official," Razer announced, "We'll move here until Jinx realizes the error of his ways." He grinned wickedly to himself as he said this.

* * *

_The trees swayed in the gentle breeze all through Haven Forest, which put Samos at ease. He was the Green Sage, after all; Haven Forest was his favorite place in the whole city. _

_"Daddy!" a voice suddenly cried out to him, and Samos looked up to see his daughter standing on the other side of the lake. She was holding some plants in her hand as she smiled and waved at him. _

_"Keira!" he shouted back. _

_"Look what I found!" Keira said, waving the exotic plants in the air. _

_"Stay where you are. I'll be right there!" Taking a deep breath, the Biology teacher began moving down the hill and towards his daughter, but the closer he got to her, the further away she appeared. In his desperation, Samos picked up the pace to reach her faster, but she was shrinking every second. _

_"Daddy!" Keira called out again, and by the time Samos reached the other side of the lake, Keira was gone and in her place was another familiar face. _

_"Samos," his wife whispered as blood began to seep onto her light, green dress from a bullet wound in her chest. The Green Sage screamed as he tried to use Green Eco to heal her. In the process, his wife's face disappeared and Keira's returned. Horrified, he realized he was holding his slain daughter in his hands. _

_"Keira!" he shouted, trying his best to heal her, but losing her all the same. _

_"NO!" he yelled at the top of his lungs as everything faded to black around him…_

_

* * *

_

"Great tree limbs!" Samos gasped, opening his eyes and sitting up in bed. Taking a few deep breaths, he clutched his chest and fumbled around for his glasses as he took in the darkness around him. _Keira, _he thought, leaping out of bed and exiting out into the hallway to go to his daughter's room. Seeing as it was the weekend, he was sure she wasn't sleeping yet, but he wanted to check all the same. He knocked on the door softly.

"Come in!" Keira called from the other side. Samos opened the door and stepped into the room to find his daughter typing away on her computer. Her wrench and an open bag of chips were by her side. Everything seemed normal so far.

"Hi, Keira," he greeted, shutting the door behind him.

"Hey, Daddy," she replied, "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing much," the Green Sage answered, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible, "What are you working on at this hour?"

"I'm just looking up some things for my secret vehicle project." She smiled, and Samos knew she wouldn't say anything else about it.

Samos moved forward to sit on the edge of his daughter's bed as she sat up and shut her laptop for the time being. "So, what's going on?" she asked.

"I was just wondering," Samos began, fixing his glasses, "On Monday, once school lets out, I was going to go into Haven Forest for a while, and I was wondering if you wanted to join me if you didn't have any plans with your friends already."

Keira tried to think. After the excitement of the Haven/Kras race, there wasn't much else going on. There was nothing else about the mystery behind Dead Town as far as she was concerned. "Sure," she answered, "I'd like to see the Forest again."

Samos breathed a sigh of relief that Keira couldn't hear. "Then it's settled," he decided, "We'll go there on Monday!"

* * *

To everyone's surprise, Professor Samos Hagai was not at all his usual, easily-angered self, and not even Keira could figure out what was going on with her father. During the lab session, Daxter had been inadvertently careless with the class's supply of Green Eco, and he was expecting a lecture from the Green Sage himself.

Therefore, the ottsel was surprised when all Samos said was, "Make sure you clean that up, Daxter."

"Whoa!" Daxter gasped, "What happened to you over the weekend? Did you grow soft or something?"

Samos looked up and sighed sadly, packed up his books, and shocked everyone when he walked out of the room silently, but not before giving Keira a subtle nod.

"Keira?" Jak asked, wrapping his arm around his girlfriend's waist, "Is everything all right with you and your father?"

"I don't know," Keira said in response, "He's been acting funny ever since I got back from Kras City."

"Well, whatever it is," Daxter piped up from Tess's shoulder, "Maybe he'll stop yapping at me all the time!"

"I promised him I would take a trip into Haven Forest after school today," the Green Sage's daughter told the others, "I'll see you guys later." After waving to her friends and kissing Jak on the lips, she walked out of the room and went to go meet her father.

"What's this all about, Daddy?" she asked once they were cruising through the gardens and entering Haven Forest through the familiar warp gate.

Samos sighed. "While you were away in Kras," he began, "This arrived for you in the mail." Without looking at his daughter, he passed her an envelope.

Once they settled down by the beautiful lake, Keira opened the envelope, which had the Mar University emblem in the return address. Her heart beating, she reached for the letter that greeted her at the top:

_Dear Ms. Hagai,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Mar University's Mechanical Engineering Program for the 2300-2301 academic year. We hope that this letter finds you in good spirits. _

_The acceptance deposit is due by May 1__st__, and your acceptance package has been included in this envelope. Congratulations once again! _

_Sincerely,_

_The Mar University Admission Staff_

"Wow," Keira gasped as she read and reread the letter. With all the drama that had happened between November and now, she had nearly forgotten that she and her friends had all applied to Mar University. Receiving this acceptance now was huge. She couldn't wait to tell the others.

"I got in!" she cried happily, "I got in!" She hugged Samos.

"Congratulations, Keira," he replied, returning the hug, "Would you like to take a walk?"

"Sure." Pocketing the acceptance, Keira cheerfully skipped across the rocks in the lake and made it to the other side.

"Keira!" Samos cried, "Wait!"

The mechanic turned around. "What is it?" she asked.

"I wanted to talk to you about something." He watched as his daughter returned to the other side of the lake and sat down underneath one of the larger trees.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, "You've been acting a little down ever since I got back from Kras."

Samos fixed his glasses and took a deep breath. How could he explain the haunting dream he had had over the weekend? "As soon as that envelope arrived," he began, "It hit me once again at how much you're growing up." Keira remained silent.

"I know we talked about this over Christmas," the Green Sage continued, "But I just wanted to remind you not to forget about me when you go off and make your own path in life."

Keira widened her eyes in surprise. "What in Mar's name gave you the idea that I was going to forget my own father?" she asked.

Samos still didn't look at his daughter. "I just…" He trailed off as he tried his hardest not to get emotional in front of Keira.

"I just wanted to say…thank you," he thanked her, "Thank you for helping me to stay strong over the last few years." Keira bowed her head as she realized what he was thinking about.

"I miss Mom," she whispered, moving closer to Samos and hugging him.

"I miss her, too, Keira," the Green Sage replied, "But I know she can see how well you've turned out." Keira smiled weakly, holding up her acceptance envelope.

"Look, Mom," she announced to the sky, "I got into my first choice of colleges!" The wind rustled in response.

"Thanks, Daddy," the Green Sage's daughter thanked him, "You were always there for me, too. And I would never forget about you, even when I'm out of college." The two of them hugged silently as the wind blew around them, almost as if Keira's mother's spirit was there. Things were really changing, but the Hagais would be ready for it. They always were.


	37. Turned Tables at the Convention

Woohoo! I'm finally back with the next chapter of "Haven High"! I'm so sorry for the long wait in updating. I hit a little bit of writer's block for a while, and there was some outside drama that prevented me from getting this up, but here it is! Thanks once again to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited, and alerted this story! :)

**DISCLAIMER: **Everyone belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

One week after Keira heard back from Mar University, all her friends began regularly checking their mail to see when their letters would arrive. Jak and Daxter quickly learned from the others that there weren't many colleges to choose from in Haven City, and since Mar University was the best one, they had decided to apply there as well.

That week, however, as Jak, Daxter, and Rayn were walking to third period gym, they suddenly heard an announcement over the loudspeaker. "_Attention all students,_" the robotic, female voice piped up, "_Please report to the auditorium for an assembly from Principal Veger._" The message repeated as Jak, Daxter, and Rayn all glanced at each other.

"Oh, Mar," Rayn mumbled, "What does he want now?"

"Beats me," Jak replied, "Let's see if we can find the others." As they turned to find Ashelin, Torn, Tess, and Keira, Jak faced Krew's daughter again.

"Have you spoken to Jinx since he rescued me, Ashelin, and Torn in Kras?" he asked.

Rayn closed her eyes for a minute and shook her head. "No," she answered, "What he did was wrong. He should have told us he knew about Erol's plans."

"Yeah, well, he didn't!" Daxter piped up, "That's his problem, not ours!"

"You're right," Rayn agreed, taking a deep breath. She wouldn't admit this to the others, but Jinx had tried to call her a couple of times, but she ignored him every time. She wasn't ready to face him yet.

After turning for a little bit, the three of them arrived in the auditorium and spotted Ashelin, Tess, Torn, and Keira near the middle. Keira turned around and excitedly waved them over.

"I wonder what this is all about?" Jak asked the four of them once everyone was settled.

"Whatever it is, it can't be good," Ashelin retorted, "Look." She pointed to the stage, where almost all the teachers were taking their seats. Krew flew onto the stage, followed by Gol and Maia Acheron, Samos, and Sig. Lastly, Principal Veger climbed up the staircase on the side, waving his hand nonchalantly in order to quiet down the talkative student body.

"_Ahem,_" Veger began, clearing his throat, "Welcome, students! I'm sure you are wondering why I have decided to bring you here this morning. I am proud to announce that Haven High School will be closed tomorrow." Before he could continue, cheers erupted in the audience, which were instantly shot down at the next statement.

"However," Veger continued, "The reason the school is being closed is due to a teacher's convention that will be held in Kras City, along with the faculty of Spargus High and Kras High. Each teacher you see before you on stage, as well as myself, will be required to select one student to chaperone for the student/teacher workshops." His eyes scanned the audience until he found Jak sitting next to Keira.

"If all the teachers could come forward and select a student." Chairs rustled loudly as all the adults moved forward. Krew took the microphone first.

"Rayn," he announced, "I'd like to select my daughter, eh?"

"Miss Rayn," Veger said, taking the microphone back, "Please come up on stage." Everyone stared as Rayn got out of her seat and approached the stage to stand next to her father.

"Gol and Maia Acheron?" Veger asked next, relinquishing the microphone to Maia.

"Very well," the substitute Robotics teacher sighed, "I shall choose…Tess." All eyes were on Tess as she followed Rayn.

"And I select Torn," Gol piped up in his raspy voice, nearly crushing the auburn-haired boy's hand once he was on stage.

"Keira," Samos sighed into the microphone, hugging his daughter as she followed in Torn's footsteps.

"Where's Ashelin?" Sig piped up, narrowing his eyes as he scanned the audience as well, "Come here, Ashelin!"

"And for me," Veger crooned, smirking, "That leaves…Jak."

"Oh, no!" Daxter cried, throwing his hands up in the air, "Not you!"

"This is too convenient," Jak muttered as he joined the others on stage.

"Isn't this exciting, Jak?" Veger asked, shaking Jak's hand, "I get to chaperone you for a whole day in Kras City."

"Uhh…no," Jak replied.

"All of you will meet us outside the school tomorrow morning! Don't be late!"

* * *

"A teacher's convention?" Damas asked skeptically the next morning as he, Jak, and Daxter sat in the dining room and ate breakfast.

"I didn't even bother to ask," Jak answered, "Something's up, though. I can tell."

"You've gotten out of sticky situations before," Damas assured him, "A teacher's convention should be easy." He sipped some coffee as he said this.

"Yeah!" Daxter cried in agreement, "Jak knows how to handle Kras City!"

"Don't you think it's strange that the teachers picked all of us?" Jak asked the ottsel, "Out of all the students in the school?"

"Well, Jak, we've experienced much stranger than this," Daxter said matter-of-factly, "I'm not surprised we all became 'The Chosen Ones'."

"Very funny," Jak replied, laughing a little bit as he cleared his dishes away.

"Just be cautious, Jak," Damas advised wisely, "You never know what your principal has up his sleeve."

"I will," Jak replied, "Thanks, Dad." He and Daxter left so that they could take the Zoomer to Haven High. They couldn't believe that they were going to this teacher's convention.

Keira, Samos, Ashelin, Torn, Tess, Rayn, and Krew were already there waiting for the rest of the teachers. "Daddy," Keira began, "What's this all about?"

"I don't know," Samos replied, "I've never been to a teacher's convention before."

"There's a first time for everything!" Daxter quipped, grinning at Samos, who just rolled his eyes. He had gone back to his usual, easily irritated self.

"Veger better behave himself," Ashelin spoke up from next to Torn and Tess, "He's caused us enough trouble as it is."

Samos perked up at these words. "Miss Praxis," he began, "There is something interesting you should know about Veger."

"What is it?" the Baron's daughter inquired, but before the Green Sage could answer, a flurry of Zoomers appeared, and Veger, the Acheron siblings, and Sig arrived next, taking their places by the students they had chosen to chaperone.

"All right!" Veger cried, "Is everyone ready?"

"Yes," everyone answered.

"There are two Hellcat cruisers waiting for us. Let's go."

Once everyone was settled, they were off to Kras City once again. The trip there was awkward, with Principal Veger sitting next to Jak the whole time. "As your chaperone," he began, "I'll be watching you the whole time."

"Why?" Jak asked, turning his eyes black for a second and emitting a little bit of Dark Eco, "You think I'm going to change at any minute?"

Everyone else in the Hellcat gasped and then chuckled slightly at the rattled look on Veger's face, even the teachers. "No," he replied, "Just behave yourself." Jak smirked, still in disbelief over the fact that Veger never really thanked him for saving his life in the Wasteland.

After hours of flying on the road, they arrived at the convention, where all the teachers and selected students from Spargus High and Kras High met up with the Havenites. For some reason, Samos and Sig were glancing at each other knowingly, which made the students curious. What was going on? And what was Samos about to say to Ashelin before?

Another surprise greeted the gang once they entered the Kras Town Hall. "Onin!" Jak cried in surprise, "Pecker! What are you doing here?"

Onin waved her hands as Pecker translated, "Onin says she has been watching your progress over the last few months, and she is proud of how you are handling yourself. We have decided to join you at this…_convention._"

"Back off, sack of feathers!" Daxter snapped, "Unless you have something to say other than voodoo crap!" Pecker frowned.

"I know something about this event that you don't, rat boy!" the moncaw snarled, "And now, I won't tell you!" he spat at the ottsel, and he and Onin disappeared yet again.

"Those two are so mysterious," Keira commented, remembering their appearance at the Career Day incident. The whole party entered the main auditorium and took their seats as a familiar face took the center stage.

"Kaedan!" Tess gasped, remembering the business man who had attended dinner with her family in the Port.

Kaedan cleared his throat, attracting everyone's attention. "Good morning, all teachers and students!" he announced, "Today's convention will be quite eventful, if I do say so myself. We will get to the student/teacher workshops in a little bit, but first, a few speeches are in order." Nearly all the students groaned, especially Daxter, who exaggerated things a little bit. This was going to be a long morning.

* * *

After the twentieth speech (where even the teachers were starting to become restless), Kaedan finally announced, "It is time for the student/teacher workshops!"

"Finally!" Torn sighed as they all prepared for whatever was going to happen. Everyone moved to meet up with his or her assigned teacher, and Jak reluctantly approached Veger.

"What we're going to do today is practice some speech exercises," Kaedan announced, "Something to be able to communicate better with your students."

"Looks like _some _teachers here could work on that," Daxter mumbled, sending all the students into fits of laughter.

"First," Kaedan began, "Teachers, look your student in the eye and tell them why you chose them to accompany you today."

Sighing, Jak forced himself to look at Principal Veger as the older man spoke up. "I brought you here to understand your true nature," Veger explained.

"I thought you knew already," Jak replied, "What about the day we talked in the library?"

"The line between good and evil is never quite defined, Jak. You out of all people should understand that." Jak frowned in response.

Suddenly, from next to them, they noticed Samos, Gol, and Maia began to raise their voices slightly, and Jak wondered what was going on.

"Why don't you sit down, Professor Hagai?" Gol demanded, his voice as raspy as ever, "Do you really think you're capable of running an entire high school?"

"Much better than that excuse of a principal that's in there now!" Samos snapped in the same tone he often used with Daxter in class.

"You don't know what you're talking about," Maia fumed, attracting the attention of the rest of the convention.

"Oh, I think he does!" Sig suddenly piped up as he and Ashelin moved to stand next to Keira and Samos, the gym assistant ready to defend his colleague.

"You two haven't been here for that long," Sig continued, "But you don't know how Veger's been running Haven High!" Veger glanced at Jak and raised an eyebrow at this confrontation.

Maia chuckled lightly. "He stopped that good for nothing _nervous wreck _from continuing to be too friendly with _her_," she replied, gesturing to Tess, who narrowed her eyes in fury, still scarred from the rumors that had been spread about her concerning that drama.

"That's a lie!" Tess yelled.

"No such thing happened!" Samos snapped in agreement, "Dr. Vin was a respected colleague of ours! I couldn't have asked for a better Physics professor!"

"Principal Veger wanted him out of the school," Gol droned, "And that's what he accomplished. There is nothing more to say here."

"Did you two know that Principal Veger doesn't like Dark Eco?" Sig piped up, causing Gol and Maia to glance at each other.

"He doesn't?" Maia asked in disbelief.

"Nope. He can't stand it!"

"Is that so?" Gol wheezed, "That isn't what he told us. He said he loved it and appreciated that we were integrating it into our courses."

"That's a lie, too!" Samos thundered. At this point, Jak and Daxter had snuck away from Veger and gone to stand with the others as the fight picked up. _Some teacher's convention, huh? _Jak couldn't help but think to himself.

"Samos," Sig began, turning to his colleague, "I think it's time to put our Master Plan in motion."

"Master Plan?" Daxter echoed, "You two have been cooking up a Master Plan _without us?_"

"Yes!" Samos replied hastily, "We've been planning this ever since Jak was suspended after the Career Day incident!" All the students glanced at each other, wondering what would happen next.

"Principal Veger," Samos Hagai began as he and Sig approached Veger and forced him to sit down in a chair, "I hereby declare you unfit to be principal of Haven High School. And Gol and Maia Acheron, you two are no longer the Physics substitutes."

Veger was floored. This was the last thing he was expecting. "You can't do that!" he protested, "It's against the rules!"

"We know," Sig growled, "But we're going to change some of those rules. We've spoken with Dr. Osmo. You know, the superintendant that you ran out of the school. He said this would go into effect tomorrow."

"Mutiny from my own employees!" Veger gasped, "I don't believe this! You all will burn in the fiery depths of hell for what you have done! And the Precursors will not save you!"

"Come on, kids," Sig whispered to Ashelin, Tess, Rayn, Jak, Daxter, Keira, and Torn, "We're out of here before he blows up even more." Nodding in shock, they all left the teacher's convention with Sig and Samos, abandoning Veger, Gol, and Maia in Kras City Hall.

"They will pay for this, Principal Veger," Maia said softly, "We will help you get back at them." Veger didn't reply, but he continued to fume silently.

"What was _that _all about, eh?" Krew asked, flying over to the others.

"Go away, Krew," Gol snapped, "You're not involved in this." Krew shrugged as he flew away as well.

* * *

"What the heck just happened back there?" Daxter demanded as the group flew back to Haven City.

"We turned the tables against Veger," Sig announced, "We'd been trying to get back at him for a while, and the last month's events was the catalyst."

"So that's what you meant when you said you were on our side," Jak realized, widening his eyes.

"Exactly, cherry," Sig said, winking.

"Wow," Tess gasped, "We…we don't know what to say!"

"Thank you!" Ashelin cried, "That helped our cause a lot!"

"Not a problem," Samos spoke up from next to Sig, "Anything to stop Principal Veger and his corrupt ways!" All the teens smiled at each other, feeling hopeful for the first time in a long time, even though they knew Veger would find some way to retaliate. They would be ready, though, especially now that some of the staff was backing them up.


	38. Painful Honesty

Next chapter is here! Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! :) I'm glad you all are enjoying this story! By the way, if anyone is curious, this story is now at about the end of March to the beginning of April of the school year. Only a couple more months to go! :D

PS- I hope everyone had a good New Year's Day and may 2011 go well for all of you! :)

**DISCLAIMER: **Everything belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

Vin could hardly believe it the next day when he decided to take his daily stroll around Haven City…only to find that things were different at Haven High. He had read about some kind of teacher uprising at the Kras City convention in the _Daily Haven, _but he didn't think it was true until he saw the results himself.

Veger had been kicked out of the Principal's position, and now they were apparently looking for a new principal. Taking a deep breath, he approached the school doors, where Samos, Sig, Keira, Jak, and Daxter greeted him.

"Dr. Vin!" Keira cried excitedly, waving him over.

Once he was close enough to speak to them, he stammered, "W-what's going on here?"

"I'm the new interim principal of Haven High," Sig announced proudly, holding up his staff, "I like Krew and everything, but I was tired of just being a teacher's assistant."

"Y-you are?" Vin asked, to which Sig chuckled.

"Don't you worry now, cherry," he said, "This school is going to function much better now that we're running the show." He, Samos, Keira, Jak, and Daxter all glanced at each other slyly.

"You know," Jak began, grinning to himself, "Now that Gol and Maia Acheron have stopped substituting after this last month, we need a Physics and Robotics teacher."

Vin widened his eyes as soon as he realized what Jak was implying. "Oh, no!" he protested, "No, no, no! I'm not doing that again! I-I've got a bad name in those halls!"

"Which will be cleared once we are in charge," Sig responded, "Now, are you going to let Veger dictate your decisions even though he's not here? Or are you going to stand on your own feet and fight?"

_Now, he sounds like a true Wastelander, _Jak thought as he glanced back and forth between Sig and Vin. The ex-Physics professor looked anguished, but then, he stammered, "Oh, I just _know _this is going to come back and bite me later!"

"Hooray!" Keira shouted, hugging Jak in the process.

"I _knew _you would change your mind," Samos added, "And don't worry. We'll be there to help you out!" And with that, all of them walked into Haven High with their heads held high.

* * *

Right as she heard the bell ringing before her third period Robotics class, Tess stopped by her locker and went to reorganize her books, which were starting to become rather disorganized. As she did, however, she heard Ashelin trying to get her attention. "Tess!" the Baron's daughter cried, breaking the blonde Robotics expert away from her thoughts.

"What's up, Ash?" Tess asked.

"Dr. Vin's back!" Ashelin announced, "Sig and Professor Hagai reinstated him, and Sig's now the interim principal!"

Tess nearly choked on the water she was drinking out of a water bottle. "Dr. Vin's back?" she echoed in surprise.

Ashelin nodded. "So you'll be seeing him in Robotics," she said, "Hang in there, okay?" She patted Tess on the shoulder.

"I'll try," Tess replied, and Ashelin walked away to go join Keira on her free period. Meanwhile, Daxter's crush sighed as she thought about Dr. Vin being back. After the nasty rumors that were spread about the two of them, things were bound to be awkward. So instead, she decided to do something she never thought of doing before.

Placing her Robotics book back in her locker, Tess made for the front door of Haven High. She felt terrible for deciding to be a little late to class, but she couldn't face the reinstated Physics/Robotics professor yet. Not after the drama that had gotten way out of hand. She considered herself a strong woman, but it would take her some time to get used to the fact that he was back.

"Tess?" a familiar voice asked. Tess whirled around to see Jinx leaning against the wall of the building as he smoked a cigarette.

"What are you doing here, blondie?" he continued.

"I'd like to ask you the same thing," Tess replied, placing a hand on her hip, "What are _you _doing out here?"

"Enjoying a cigarette, as usual," Jinx answered, smirking.

"Have you ever tried quitting?" Tess asked gently.

"_Quit?_" Jinx echoed, "Never. Besides, it's the only thing I can do now. I saved Jak, Torn, and Ashelin in Kras and they're still angry with me."

Tess frowned. "You should have said something about Erol," she said.

Jinx narrowed his eyes and threw away his cigarette. "Tell me this, blondie," he began, "How many times do I have to apologize before all of you will forgive me? I messed up, okay? I'm allowed to make mistakes, right?"

Tess sighed, but didn't comment, which gave Jinx the leverage to continue. "You all think you're so perfect," he continued, "The way you all ostracized me in Kras, you would think you've never done anything wrong. So why do I have to take a lot of heat for making a mistake? If anything, you all are just as stubborn as Veger."

Tess glared at Rayn's ex-boyfriend. "Now wait a minute!" she snapped, "Don't you _dare _compare us to Veger!"

"Why not?" Jinx fired back, "If you were really my friends, you would have accepted my apologies, but you didn't. My cheek's still tender from when Rayn slapped me." He rubbed his cheek for emphasis.

Although it pained her to even think it, Tess had to admit that Jinx had a point. _Were _they just as bad as Veger in a way? Did they have their dark sides, too, like their old principal did? "Look," she reasoned, "I think they're more angry because they felt betrayed."

"I understand that. But there was no need to just ditch me like that, and if you all can't accept my apologies, then you don't need me as a friend."

"That's not what we meant!"

"When were you going to forgive me, then?" Jinx challenged. Tess didn't say a word, for she wasn't quite sure herself.

"Right. That's what I thought. Now, leave. I want to be alone right now."

"Jinx…"

"Just go, Tess." Tess was about to turn and leave when they both heard clapping from behind them.

"Well, well," another familiar voice began, "Truer words have never been spoken, brother."

"Razer!" Jinx fumed as his older brother made an appearance, clapping his hands slowly.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Jinx demanded.

"Haven't you heard?" Razer asked in mock surprise, "I'm moving back to Haven City." He smiled, but the smile was wrong.

"Why?" Tess asked warily from behind the other blond teenager; after hearing about Jinx's older brother from Jak, Torn, and Ashelin, she was a little nervous about being around him.

"Oh, you know," Razer replied, puffing on a cigar, "I got bored of Kras City. Everything is the same there. Haven City is where all the action is, it seems. In fact, I'm looking for a job at Haven High."

"No," Jinx whispered under his breath, "Please, tell me it's not true!"

"It's true, Jinx-y boy. And there's nothing you can do about it."

"Just stay the hell away from us!" Jinx snapped, tossing his cigarette aside.

"But why?" Razer asked, tilting his head to the side, "Don't you want me back in the city?"

"No, I don't. Go back to Kras! Now!"

"I'm not going anywhere, _Jinx_! We've already established this!"

"Blondie," Jinx growled, turning to Tess, "Get out of here."

"But Jinx," Tess began, but he cut her off.

"Get out of here! Now! I don't want Razer to try and kidnap you, too! Go!"

Tess glanced from one brother to the other, and she also realized how truthful Jinx's words from before had been. With wide eyes, she turned and bolted back to the school so that she could go to Robotics, but not before she turned around at the door once more to watch the two men.

"Jinx!" she cried. Both Jinx and Razer faced her.

"I forgive you!" she told him, and with that, she disappeared into the building.

"Is she your new girlfriend now?" Razer asked, smirking, "What happened to Rayn?"

"Tess is not my girlfriend," Jinx answered, "And Rayn and I broke up. Not that that's any of your business, though."

"But it is," Razer insisted, "This whole situation is my business! I just stopped by to let you know that I'll be around. More than you think I will be." And winking, he turned and walked away.

Fuming, Jinx turned around and marched back into Haven High so that he could catch whatever amount of time of gym was left. Now that Sig was taking over as the principal, he realized that Physical Education would be a lot different with just Krew.

* * *

As Tess entered the Robotics classroom after retrieving her book from her locker, she felt everyone turn and stare at her, and Dr. Vin glanced up, but didn't comment. He was still shaken by the rumors as well.

Without a word, Tess took a seat in the back and buried her head behind her textbook. She could handle the students, but not Vin himself. He looked like he wanted to say something to her, but didn't want to right there after everything that had happened. Instead, her mind wandered back to the Light Eco Pistol she had built months ago, which was locked away in her room. The latest project Vin was giving them reminded her of that creation: a Blaster Gun. _Back to building guns, huh? _She asked herself wryly, _We need them more than ever now._

Once the class was over, Tess waited for everyone else to clear out before deciding to rearrange her locker in the storage room. As she did so, she tried not to look at Vin, but as she was reorganizing herself, she heard him clear his throat.

"T-Tess?" he stammered.

"Yes, Professor?" Tess asked in a neutral tone.

Vin sighed. "I-I just wanted to…to _apologize _for everything I've put you through," he apologized, "I-I shouldn't have shared all that information with you. I shouldn't have gotten you involved in my problems with Veger."

Tess exhaled as well. She thought about Jinx's words from before and wondered what she should say to her teacher. "It's all right," she replied, "Veger was going to twist something innocent anyway. But we'll get back at him now that he's not principal anymore." Grabbing her bag, she walked out the door, leaving Vin to wonder how Veger was taking all this. No doubt the Precursor fanatic would blow a fuse if he knew that his ex-best friend was back as a teacher. _Watch out for Veger, that's for sure, _he warned himself, _And anyone else who's on his side._


	39. Injunction

Thanks again for the reviews! I love hearing suggestions for the story! :) I've decided that for the next couple of chapters, I'm going to move away from the main plot drama (the Shield Wall/Vin/Veger/Precursors storyline) and focus more on the gang again, like I did for the Christmas and Valentine's Day specials, though there will be a few references to the main plot. This chapter is a little bit on the intense side, but some of the upcoming chapters should be a lot more lighthearted. The updates will also probably be more frequent like they were when I first published this story. With that in mind, enjoy! :)

PS- Is the "Traffic" link not working for anyone else? For some reason, it keeps giving me an error. :/ If anyone knows why this is happening, let me know. Thanks again!

**DISCLAIMER: **Everyone belongs to Naughty Dog except for Fiona and Dave, who are my OCs.

_Italics- _Flashbacks

* * *

Lunch could not have come any sooner. As Jak and his friends took their places at their usual table, Jak glanced over a couple of tables and noticed that Jinx was only picking at his food and not acting like his usual, sarcastic self. He had to admit that he felt bad for the shabby way he and his friends had treated Jinx ever since returning from Kras, especially since the blond teenager had gone out of his way to rescue him, Torn, and Ashelin. "Hey, guys," Jak began, "Maybe we were too harsh on Jinx. After all, he did help me, Torn, and Ashelin, and we never thanked him."

"You know," Keira piped up, "I was thinking the same thing a while ago. I mean, look at him." Everyone glanced over at Jinx as he rested a hand against his forehead and sighed.

"I already forgave him," Tess reported, eating a little bit of her salad, "And I think I know what else is bothering him."

"What?" Torn asked, facing Tess.

"Razer stopped by while we were talking outside."

"_Razer?_" Jak, Torn, and Ashelin all gasped, dropping their forks.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Torn wondered, glancing over at Jinx again.

Setting his water bottle down, Jak got up and announced, "I'll go talk to him. Stay here with Tess, Dax." Daxter climbed down from his shoulder and went to go sit on Tess's.

Meanwhile, Jinx continued to pick at his food as he thought about Razer's visit from earlier. It made him nervous just thinking about his brother being close by again. He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice Jak standing over him.

"Oh, it's you, Jakkie-boy," he commented as Jak sat across from him.

"Yeah, it's me," Jak replied with a chuckle, "I came here to apologize."

Jinx narrowed his eyes. "For what?" he asked skeptically.

"For not thanking you for saving me, Torn, and Ashelin in Kras. So, thank you. Torn and Ashelin also thank you." Jinx smiled weakly, but didn't say anything.

"And we're all sorry we ditched you at the race," Jak added, "We were just angry because of what Erol told us, but when we calmed down a little bit, we realized we were wrong to treat you the way we did. Forgive us? We forgive you."

Jinx looked up from his lap as he realized Jak was being sincere. "You really mean that?" he asked. Jak nodded.

"I do," he answered, "Come back to the table. Everyone there will apologize themselves." He began to get up to leave when Jinx stopped him.

"Wait!" he cried, "Can I just talk to you about something? Really quick, I promise."

Jak sat back down. "Is everything all right?" he asked in his husky voice, "We heard about Razer moving back to Haven City."

Jinx shook his head. "No," he whispered, "You have no idea, Jakkie boy. I don't want my brother anywhere _near _me, my friends, or this school after the incident at the race." Jak sat silently and waited patiently.

"I'm going to tell you something, blondie," Jinx announced, "And you have to _promise _not to tell the others, especially Rayn."

Jak narrowed his eyes for a second. "I can't promise that until I know what it is," he replied.

"If she knew I endangered her life when we visited Razer over Christmas, she would never forgive me," Jinx blurted out, covering his mouth in shock.

"You _what?_" Jak asked incredulously.

"It's not like I knew until the last day!" Jinx insisted, "I found something in my brother's room when he asked me to find his lighter. I never told him I found it, either, and pretended like nothing was wrong up to the Haven/Kras race. That's when I realized things had gone back to the way they used to be before he moved to Kras."

"Whoa, slow down!" Jak interrupted, holding up a hand, "You're rambling here. What happened between you and your brother?"

Jinx looked up again, took a deep breath, and began to tell Jak what he had found during his Christmas trip to Kras…

* * *

"_Damn it," Razer cursed as he reached for another cigar, "It seems I've left my lighter in my room." Jinx, Rayn, Krew, and Krew's clones all looked up from their dinner. _

_"And I still have to find the next bottle of wine," Razer continued, "Jinxy boy, do you think you could…" _

_"Go find your lighter?" Jinx jumped in, "Sure thing, Raze. It's in your room, right?" _

_"That is correct." Jinx kissed Rayn for a second before getting up and going upstairs to his older brother's room. Like always, the lighter was right on the nightstand, and whistling to himself, Jinx snatched it up and turned to leave when he suddenly lost his footing over Razer's comforter that was dragging on the floor. _

_Thinking quickly, Jinx grabbed the side of the bed to prevent himself from crashing and making a loud noise when he noticed something poking out from underneath the bed. Something very familiar to him. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, he lifted the covers, which must have yanked the familiar object out from underneath the bed, and gasped at the discovery. _

_On the floor was Razer's Butterfly knife, as well as a neatly folded piece of paper beneath it. _Oh, no, _he thought, taking the knife into his hands and unfolding the paper, where he saw a few names written on the top: Shiv, Edje, and Cutter. Below that were other names of top crime lords in Kras, as well as crossed out names of people Razer and his comrades must have murdered for some reason. _

What the hell, Raze? _Jinx couldn't help but think to himself as he put the paper and knife back; he couldn't let his brother know that he had found his lethal possessions. As he walked back downstairs with the lighter in his hands, he felt his legs shake in nervousness; it appeared that Razer had gone back to those ways. _

_Jinx made his way back into the living room, silently handing over Razer's lighter and sitting down next to Rayn again. "You know, sugar," he began as smoothly as he could, "The traffic between Haven and Kras might build up the later it gets. Do you all want to leave as soon as the dinner is finished?" _

_"What's the rush, little brother?" Razer asked, puffing on his cigar, "You'll make it back to your city." _

_"But Christmas traffic is worse," Jinx reminded him, trying to get rid of the slight tremor in his voice. _

_"He has a point, eh?" Krew piped up, "We probably should get going. The clones get very impatient with gridlocks, mmm?" _

_Razer frowned. "Very well," he replied, "I'll show you to the door." _

_Once Jinx, Krew, Rayn, and the clones were all back in Krew's large van, Jinx peered out the window as Razer watched them leave. The two brothers had barely said goodbye to each other, and Jinx wondered if Razer knew about his discovery. At the same time, though, he knew it would be better if he fell out of contact with his brother. _

_

* * *

_

"I feel terrible for doing that to Rayn and her family," Jinx said, "But I didn't know!"

Jak nodded silently, as it was clear that Jinx was about to tell him something else.

"This is what happened between me and my brother two years ago…"

* * *

_The night Razer returned home drunk from the Hip Hog Heaven Saloon was one of the few nights Jinx would never forget. Butterfly knife in hand, and thugs in tow, Razer had broken into the house while Jinx and his parents were sleeping. A loud crashing noise from downstairs had woken everyone else up, and before it could register in Jinx's mind, he already heard the alarms ringing as he heard footsteps downstairs. Leaping out of bed, he raced downstairs in time to catch Razer and his gang plundering their own house. _

_"Razer!" Jinx cried, "What the hell are you doing?" _

_At that moment, he found himself staring right at the Butterfly knife in his brother's hand. "Get back!" he warned in his accented voice, "They're after my comrades and we need money." From behind Jinx, their parents, Fiona and Dave, hurried downstairs. _

_"Razer!" Fiona gasped, "Put the knife down and get your friends out of here." _

_Razer nodded to the other thugs, who took Fiona and Dave by their arms and locked them in a side room. "You've gone off the deep end!" Jinx snapped. _

_The knife remained where it was. "Don't stand in my way, Jinx," Razer growled, "If I don't pawn a lot of our possessions here, our good friends will kill us." _

_"Why are you even involved with those thugs? I know you, Raze. You're better than that!" _

_"Jinx," Razer fumed, "I'm warning you. If you don't move, I'll make you move!" Jinx stared down at the butterfly knife and gulped slightly. Would his brother really kill him? Would he let the alcohol take over? _

_There was only one thing he knew he had to do. And swallowing his fear, he launched himself towards his older brother and began attempting to wrestle the knife out of his hands. In the side room, their parents had gotten on the phone and were talking to someone, though they didn't know who. _

_"Jinxy!" Razer snapped, "Stop it!" _

_"No!" Jinx replied as a struggle ensued. Razer's boys attempted to ward off the blond teenager, but Jinx wouldn't be deterred. In the middle of the fight, however, Jinx suddenly felt a searing pain just above his chest, and when he looked down, he saw that Razer had slashed him with the knife. Whether it was intentional or an accident was unknown, but just as Razer was getting the upper hand once again, the door burst open behind him, and a few Krimzon Guards burst into the house, arresting Razer and his cohorts. Fiona and Dave emerged from the side room, hugging Jinx as some of the guards took him to the hospital to get his injury checked out. His parents felt horrible for calling the police on their own son, but he looked like he had just been about to murder his little brother. _

_Jinx, meanwhile, was shaken. His life had flashed before his eyes. The scar running diagonally above his chest was proof of that. Once he was all stitched up, he glanced at a mirror and sighed as he ran his fingers across the injury. And that was when he knew that Razer was unstable. It wasn't just the alcohol; it was his lifestyle. _

_

* * *

_

"Ever since then, I've been trying to keep my distance," Jinx explained to a shocked Jak, "Once Razer was released from the Fortress, he decided to move to Kras to make a better life for himself, and I guess he did for a while."

"When he was holding us hostage," Jak began, "He told us he had gotten a promotion as a racing coach at Kras High."

"Not entirely true, Jakkie boy," Jinx said, "He never got a promotion. The KG thought it would be good for him to go somewhere where he could channel all his aggression into something good. That's how he got into racing." Jak didn't say anything as his friend continued.

"He seemed like he changed," Jinx explained, "And that's why I visited him during Christmas vacation. But you already know about that. To this day, he doesn't know that I know that he's gotten back into his old habits, so he doesn't understand why I'm not closer to him. That's the story." He looked up from his lap.

At first, Jak didn't know what to say, but when the shock finally wore off, he said, "I'm sorry to hear that. Do the others know?"

"No," Jinx replied, "And I don't want them to know."

"You have to tell them. What if Razer goes after them?"

"He won't. It's me he has the problem with. Besides, I'm getting a restraining order against him. It might not help, but hopefully, it will get him away from here for a while." Jak just remained silent.

"Please, Jakkie boy," Jinx practically pleaded, "Don't tell them." His eyes were wide, and even though Jak felt wrong about this, a promise was a promise.

"All right," he decided, "Just between us. When you're ready, though, you should tell them." Jinx sighed and nodded.

"Thanks, Jak," he thanked the Wastelander gratefully, "And now that Veger's gone, things should really quiet down around here."

And with that, the two of them got up and returned to their normal table, where the others looked up from their food. At first, there was an awkward silence until both Tess and Jak gave insistent looks to the others.

"So, Jinx," Torn began, facing the blond teenager, "Now that Veger's been kicked to the curb, do you think things should get better around here?"

"I hope so," Jinx replied, taking a deep breath, "Maybe now things will die down."

"I think they will," Keira agreed, "Daddy and Sig will take care of things, especially Sig."

"Yeah, he's the no-nonsense type," Ashelin piped up, taking a sip of her soda, "How was Robotics this morning, Tess?"

"Not as awkward as I thought it would be," Tess answered, "Dr. Vin apologized for everything."

"Is this the beginning of the end, then?" Daxter asked from Tess's shoulder.

"Seems like it," Rayn quipped, moving over so that she could sit next to Jinx. She took his hand in hers and smiled slightly as she used her other hand to caress the place where she had slapped him.

* * *

Taking a deep breath, Jinx and Jak walked into the infamous KG Fortress after school that day, where pretty much everything possible was situated: the hospital, the police station, etc.

"Funny how friends bond sometimes, huh, Jakkie boy?" Jinx joked as they walked into the Krimzon Guard precinct.

"Yeah," Jak retorted, grinning a little bit.

"You're lucky to have that ottsel on your shoulder all the time," Jinx admitted, "He's probably more like a brother to you than anything else."

"We've been through a lot together," Jak said, standing back as Jinx began filling out a restraining order.

"I wish Razer was like that," Jinx mumbled to himself as he handed the restraining order over to the Krimzon Guard, who informed him that Razer would be notified about it.

"I don't know if this will work, and maybe it's wrong," Jinx said to Jak, "But it's the only other thing I can do. I've tried to help him, and nothing has worked."

"We'll keep an eye out for anything suspicious," Jak assured him with a determined nod, "All of us."

* * *

_Knock knock knock! _

Setting his lighter down on the nightstand, Razer ambled over to the door of his apartment and answered it…only to find two Krimzon Guards standing there. "May I help you?" he asked in his accented voice.

"We're under orders to give you this," one guard explained, handing a piece of paper over to Razer. Taking it into his gloved hands, he began to read the words imprinted and signed at the bottom by Baron Praxis.

"By order of the Krimzon Guard and Baron Praxis," he read, "You are hereby required to stay no less than 250 feet away from _Jinx Edison's _place of residence, school, and place of work." He didn't bother to finish reading the document (which also instructed him not to call, send gifts, etc.), for he felt his heart contract in shock and anger. He didn't bother to thank the Krimzon Guards, either, instead opting to slam the door in their face as he sat on his bed and reread the restraining order. It finally hit home that his little brother really didn't want him around anymore, and he didn't know what to make of it.

Grabbing his lighter again, Razer flicked it open and watched as the small flame began to burn the legal document. He knew it was illegal, but he didn't care. The flame licked away at the restraining order as a devious grin formed across Razer's face.


	40. Driving to Freedom

All right! Here's the first of the next few chapters that will balance out the serious nature of some of the storylines with some more lighthearted situations. I realize I haven't written an Ashelin-centered chapter yet, so here's a chapter for her! Enjoy! :)

PS- Never mind about the "Traffic" link. It's up and running again! YAY!

**DISCLAIMER: **Everyone belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

When Ashelin woke up to her alarm one week later, she felt happy. She had been like this all week, and Baron Praxis couldn't figure out why; she rarely said anything about school anymore. After she showered and dressed, she skipped down the stairs to the palace kitchens, where she sampled the breakfast of the morning. She didn't look up as her father ambled into the dining room with a steaming plate of eggs and bacon.

"Good morning, Ashelin," Praxis greeted, raising a cup of coffee to his lips.

"Morning, Father," Ashelin replied as she helped herself to some pancakes.

"Can I ask you something?" the Baron began, narrowing his eyes, "As a father?"

"Sure," Ashelin answered as she sat across from her father.

Setting the _Daily Haven _aside, Praxis cleared his throat and began. "Is there something you want to tell me?" he asked.

Ashelin widened her eyes. "Like what?" she responded.

"For the last week, you've had that grin on your face."

"Oh," Ashelin said, "_That._"

"Is it that _Torn _boy you've been seeing?" Baron Praxis narrowed his eyes as he said this.

"No, it's not Torn," Ashelin said, thinking about her boyfriend for nearly a year now, "Veger's not the principal at school anymore."

"You don't say," Praxis mused, "How did that come about?"

"Sig, the gym TA, took over for the time being."

"Is that so?" Praxis asked, "No wonder you've been so happy." Ashelin shrugged and took a sip of her orange juice as her father spoke up again.

"Oh, Ashelin," he said, "I almost forgot to tell you: the Department of Eco-Powered Zoomers called. Your Zoomer Learner's Permit is about to expire and they wanted to reschedule your road test."

Ashelin nearly spit out her orange juice. "The Department of Eco-Powered Zoomers?" she echoed, "You're kidding, right? I've forgotten all about them!"

Praxis chuckled, a rare thing to occur for him. "Well, they haven't forgotten about you," he said, "Anyway, you can go there after school."

Ashelin groaned for a second. "I hope to Mar that the lines aren't too long," she grumbled, "They always are at the DEZ."

* * *

"The DEZ?" Keira asked as she, Ashelin, Jak, and Daxter sat outside in the courtyard on their free period, "You have to go there after school?"

"I still never passed my road test," Ashelin explained to her friends.

"_What?_" Daxter whined, "How could you not have a Zoomer license?"

"I always walked everywhere until my father brought it up," the Baron's daughter explained, shaking her head.

"Good luck with the long lines!" Daxter piped up, patting her on the shoulder.

"Thank you, Daxter," Ashelin thanked the ottsel sarcastically, causing Keira and Jak to crack up from where they were sitting.

"We'll go with you if you want," Jak assured her, "So you're not bored when you're sitting in the waiting area."

"Anything to get my mind off waiting there for hours." For a minute or two, the four of them fell silent until Daxter spoke up again.

"Ahh, this is the life!" he said cheerfully, "With _Vulgar _gone, this school has been much nicer! Thanks to _me_!" Keira laughed into her hand.

"Oh, Dax," she sighed, smiling, "You always know how to exaggerate things."

"He did that all the time in Spargus," Jak piped up, winking at the ottsel.

As they continued to enjoy the sunshine and increasing temperatures of April, they suddenly heard voices behind them. "Hey!" Torn cried as he and Jinx approached the quartet on their way to their next class.

"How's it hanging?" Jinx asked with his traditional smirk on his face. Jak glanced over at him as he reflected over the past week. Jinx had not heard from Razer since filing the restraining order. Whether that was good or bad, it was still a turn of events. Jak was just glad Jinx was doing better after the big confession last week.

"I have to go to the DEZ after school," Ashelin reported, "I still haven't taken my road test yet."

"Ahh," Torn replied, nodding in understanding, "Want us to go with you for company? I can't imagine you want to sit there by yourself."

"Well, with _you _there, it should be just fine," Ashelin responded, grinning at her boyfriend as she got up to approach him.

"I'd wait at the DEZ all day if you were there," Torn commented in return, and Jinx, Jak, Keira, and Daxter all glanced at each other.

"Will you two _lovebirds _get a room already?" Daxter asked as the others chuckled.

"Sorry," Torn apologized with a smirk on his face.

"_Sure,_" Jinx replied as he grinned wolfishly, "Well, I'm out of here. See you on the flip side." Waving, he turned and walked away.

"He's been pretty happy this past week," Keira mused, "Is there something else going on?"

"Not that I know about," Jak quipped.

"I've got to go, too," Torn announced, "I'll see you at lunch!" He hurried away after quickly kissing Ashelin.

"Once you get your Zoomer license," Keira said, "It should be smooth sailing from there!"

"That's what Tess told me last time," Ashelin muttered, "And I ended up failing." That was something the Baron's daughter didn't want to remember. Not until she got her license.

* * *

After school, Ashelin, Keira, Jak, Daxter, Torn, and Jinx made their way over to the DEZ. Tess and Rayn couldn't go because of other matters they had to take care of, but it didn't matter now: as long as she had support from most of her friends.

Despite Jinx's cheerful nature, he still looked around cautiously as they stepped out of Haven High, which he had been doing out of habit for the past week. "It's okay," Jak assured him, "You're with us. We're not going to let anything happen."

"Yeah!" Daxter chimed in agreement, "When things get rough, Jak will be there to take care of it!" Jinx took a deep breath and gradually relaxed.

Ashelin led the way into the Department of Eco-Powered Zoomers, and she decided to stand on line while the others waited in the large waiting area. On the screens were different numbers, which were assigned to different Havenites. Many of the others stared at the Baron's daughter, but she didn't care. As long as she passed her road test this time, she would be fine.

"Ashelin?" a familiar voice asked in surprise. Ashelin turned around to see Erol standing behind her.

"Erol," she replied in a similar tone of voice, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm reapplying for a Learner's Permit," the redhead replied, "My license was revoked after that accident I got into over Christmas break." Ashelin smirked to herself.

"I thought _I _was bad…" she muttered low enough so that Erol wouldn't hear it. However, he replied back with another comment.

"So," he said, "Is this your third time trying to get your license?"

Ashelin narrowed her eyes. "What's it to you?" she snapped, "At least I didn't get a DWI."

"At least I passed my test on the first time. You're not going to be able to get your license. If you failed once, you're going to fail again."

"I'm not listening to you," Ashelin growled, turning around so that she could approach the desk in front of her.

"Good luck, Praxis!" Erol called after her, smirking and waving. After glaring at him, the Baron's daughter approached the receptionist.

"Ashelin Praxis," she began, "Back to reschedule your second road test?"

"Yes," Ashelin confirmed, closing her eyes for a minute.

"Here's your number," the receptionist announced, handing Ashelin a small card with the number "A34" on it, "Have a seat right over there until your number is called."

"Thank you," Ashelin thanked her, shooting daggers at Erol before taking a seat next to Torn.

"Figures he would be here to ruin everything," Torn mumbled, shaking his head at his ex-best friend. He and the others had been watching the entire confrontation between Ashelin and Erol.

"I wonder how he's handling the change in principals," Keira wondered.

"Ahh, who cares about him?" Daxter piped up, waving one of his paws.

"Good point," Keira said in response.

The six of them ended up waiting nearly two hours (as was customary at the DEZ) before Ashelin's number was finally called. "Wish me luck," she whispered as she got up.

"Good luck!" the others replied, smiling and waving. And with that, Ashelin headed over to her designated desk.

"Normally, you'd have to wait to come back for your road test," the assistant began, "But it just so happens that we have a Zoomer available for your use, Miss Praxis. Would you like to take the road test now?"

"Right now?" Ashelin responded.

"Go for it, Ashelin!" Erol cried from next to her. She glared at him again as he smirked.

"All right, then," she decided, "I'll do it."

"Go out the door to your right, and the road test instructor will be there waiting for you." Nodding, Ashelin turned to walk away as Erol spoke up again.

"I hope you've come up with another time to visit here again," he teased. The Baron's daughter ignored him. She wouldn't let him get to her. Taking a deep breath, she exited through the designated door and found a road test instructor already waiting for her.

"Ashelin Praxis," he said, "Ready to go?"

"Yes," she sighed, climbing into the driver's seat on the two-seat Zoomer. The instructor climbed in next to her. As she started the engine, she glanced over her shoulder to see Erol standing in the doorway, smirking at her. _Don't think about Erol, _she chided herself.

After a quick run through of what would be on the test, Ashelin set the Zoomer to drive and slowly began to pull out of the starting line. She hadn't felt this nervous since she started high school, but she swallowed in an attempt to get herself to focus. She glanced in the rearview mirror to see Erol watching her intently. She shook her head.

"Make a left turn here," the instructor commanded, and Ashelin immediately signaled and cleared the left turn with no problems. Feeling confident, she began to drive much smoother as her examiner instructed her to make a right turn and parallel park. This was the part of the test she was worried about the most. She had expected her examiner to be a bastard throughout the test, as some of her friends had unfortunately been forced to experience, but hers was fine. Glancing over her shoulder, Ashelin very nearly crashed into the Zoomer behind her, but she managed to redeem herself at the last minute.

Pulling out from the parking space, the Baron's daughter then performed a three-point turn in order to turn around and go back to the starting line. At this point, she was sure she passed the test; her examiner was nodding and scribbling something on the notepad on his lap. Successfully turning around, she began flying back to the starting line, all while smiling to herself as she saw Erol's thunderstruck expression.

As she pulled back into the starting line, her examiner turned to her and shook her hand. "Congratulations, Miss Praxis," he congratulated her, "You passed."

Ashelin just nodded, though she really wanted to scream at the top of her lungs in joy. "Thank you very much," she thanked him smoothly, shaking his hand and accepting her interim license, realizing her photo license would arrive in the mail in a few weeks. Climbing out of the Zoomer, she stole a glance at Erol, who was fuming. At first, she contemplated on making a catty comment to him after he tried to upset her confidence, but then she decided he wasn't worth it in the end. Instead, she nodded at him and walked off to meet her friends, smirking to herself as he continued to fume in surprise.

"I am a licensed driver now!" Ashelin announced to the others as they left the DEZ.

"Way to go!" Keira cheered as Torn leaned in to kiss the Baron's daughter.

"We knew you could do it!" Torn added happily.

"So now what?" Daxter asked excitedly.

"I'm going to buy myself a Zoomer," Ashelin declared, grinning as she stared down at the temporary license. She was glad someone was available to test her right then and there, and she felt a sense of accomplishment at passing the exam. Now, she was even more free than she had been before.


	41. Birthday Surprises: Part One

Oh my God! Wow, it's been so long since I updated this story. I'm so sorry for the long wait! I ran into some writer's block, I had a lot of school work, and I was working on other stories, but I'm ready to continue this one again! The idea for these next few chapters was suggested to me a long time ago by Fire Eco Sage, so these next chapters are dedicated to her as a thank you. Thanks again to everyone who has favorited, reviewed, alerted, and overall supported this story! :)

**DISCLAIMER: **Everyone belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

Ahh, spring. Springtime was always beautiful in Haven City, especially when all the trees in the Garden Section, Haven Forest, and Mountain Temple began to blossom again. This was a cause for celebration, especially at Haven High, where things were looking up. It had been a few weeks now since Principal Veger had been overthrown, and there was hope yet that the school would get back on track.

However, this euphoric state was not reaching everyone. For the past couple of days, Jak had been moody, and not even Daxter could find out what was going on with his friend. "Everything all right, big guy?" he asked as he, Jak, Jinx, and Rayn left Gym one morning.

Jak didn't answer right away. "Jak?" Daxter repeated a little more insistently.

Jak looked up from the ground. "Sorry," he apologized quickly, "Did you say something, Dax?"

"Yeah, I asked if you were okay," Daxter repeated.

"Oh," Jak sighed, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just worried about school, that's all."

"Ahh, you'll be fine, Jakkie Boy," Jinx assured him with his traditional smirk, "How are you doing now?"

"Not too bad," Jak answered, looking away. Even though he wouldn't admit it to the others, not even Daxter, school wasn't the issue.

"So then there's nothing to worry about!" Rayn piped up, "Unless it's something else."

"It's not," Jak immediately replied, which fueled Daxter's suspicions. Even though Jinx, Rayn, and the others had known the two Wastelanders for almost a year now, they still didn't know Jak like the ottsel did. Nobody ever would, and Daxter knew better than to ask again at school.

* * *

Later on that morning, Daxter was surprised when Jak decided not to join him on their free period, so he decided to head to the courtyard alone while the blond teenager went to go talk to one of his teachers about something. As soon as he arrived in the gardens, he was also surprised to see Keira sitting by herself as well, and she looked deep in thought. "Hey there!" he greeted, and Keira looked up from her lap.

"Hi, Dax!" she replied, watching as Daxter climbed up onto her shoulder, "What's up?"

"Oh, just enjoying the lovely breeze on my fur," Daxter told her, "What about you? Why are you sitting here by yourself?"

"Ashelin and Tess had to go take care of some things," Keira explained, "And I've also been thinking about Jak."

"Have you been snooping around in my head?" Daxter joked, and Keira laughed.

"Very funny, Daxter," she said, "But no. I've been worried about him lately. He seems…I don't know…_moody _these days. We've been spending a lot of time together, but he won't tell me anything. Has he mentioned anything to you?"

"Nope!" Daxter chirped, "Not a thing!"

Keira widened her eyes. "I'm surprised," she mused, "He usually tells you everything!"

"Not this time!" Both of them fell silent until the Green Sage's daughter spoke up again.

"Say," she began, "Isn't Jak's birthday coming up soon?"

"That's right!" Daxter confirmed, "I've been thinking about that, too! There's _no way _I'm going to let the big guy mope around when his eighteenth birthday is arriving!"

"We should throw him a surprise party! To cheer him up and get his mind off of whatever's bothering him!" Keira suggested, bouncing up and down in her seat slightly.

"Honey, you read my mind!" Daxter said, grinning from ear to ear.

Laughing again, Keira cleared her throat and decided, "I'll pitch the idea to the others and see what they think. It just kills me that Jak isn't feeling like himself these days, especially since Veger and his goons are gone."

That was true, but there was still no telling when they would be back. They would worry about it then, though. For now, Operation: Birthday was unofficially set in motion.

* * *

Meanwhile, in his Calculus class, Jak was resting his head in his hand as he stared absentmindedly at the board. To his left, Torn was watching him with concern. The Wastelander usually paid attention in all his classes, but this time, not so much. When the teacher wasn't looking and still prattling on about related rates, Torn took a piece of paper out of his binder and began to write in hasty Precursor lettering. When he was finished, he glanced over at his friend.

"Psst," he whispered, "Jak." Jak didn't acknowledge the auburn-haired boy.

"_Jak._"

Now, Jak glanced up, and Torn quickly handed over the note before the teacher could see them.

_Is everything okay? _Torn's note read, _You've been kind of down for the last few days._

Now, Jak was getting fed up. He was tired of everyone asking if he was all right. He was _fine._ He didn't want them worrying about him. Before he realized what was going on, Jak already felt a slight bubbling under his skin, and very small flashes of purple emitted from his body, a warning sign for Torn. He quickly wrote another note and shoved it onto Jak's desk.

_Sorry, _he apologized, _You must have been getting that question a lot, haven't you?_

After reading that note, Jak felt the bubbling disappear to his relief. _I have, _he wrote back on the opposite side of the paper, _You don't have to worry about me. _

"Jak! Torn!" the teacher suddenly snapped, and both boys looked up.

"If you continue to pass notes in my class, I will give you a detention!"

"Sorry," Torn apologized, "It won't happen again." The teacher nodded and returned to the board, and later on, once class was finished, Jak was the first one out the door, even though he was not channeling Blue Eco. Torn quickly grabbed his books and followed his friend.

"Jak!" he shouted, "Hey, Jak! Wait up!"

Jak turned around.

"Are we still going to lunch?" Torn asked.

Jak hesitated for a minute before replying, "No, you and Dax go ahead without me. I have to talk to Dr. Vin about something." That was a lie, but Torn didn't need to know that.

"Jak, wait!" Torn cried, but Jak was gone yet again.

"What has been going on with him?" Torn asked the ottsel as they headed to the cafeteria.

"I don't know," Daxter replied, "But we've got to find out what it is!" The two of them fell silent as they entered the cafeteria and took their seats with their usual group.

"Where's Jak?" Jinx asked from next to Rayn.

"He said he had to talk to Dr. Vin about something," Torn reported, "But I think he's lying. Something's bothering him, but he won't say what it is."

"Yeah, he has been pretty down lately," Ashelin piped up, "Is everything all right?"

"I hope so," Keira quipped, turning to Daxter, "You don't think Dark Jak's starting to affect his mind again, do you?"

"I don't think so," Daxter assured her, "But let's tell the others about our Master Plan!"

"You have a Master Plan?" Tess asked, grinning.

"Dax and I want to throw a surprise party for Jak," Keira announced, taking a deep breath.

"I'd like to help out with that," Ashelin said, "As a friend."

"Yeah, that's a great idea!" Rayn agreed.

"I'm glad you all approve!" Daxter exclaimed, "We should start planning what we want to do now, since his birthday is this weekend!"

"And we'll take care of all of that," Jinx said, "Jak deserves this after all the drama of this year."

"Amen to that," Torn quipped, nodding at Jinx, "We'll have to come up with times to meet without Jak knowing."

"I'll take care of that!" Daxter echoed, "Just leave it to me! This is going to be the best birthday party ever!"

But what the gang didn't know was that Erol, Mog, and Grim, who had been sitting at the next table over, had heard everything.


	42. Birthday Surprises: Part Two

All right! Here's the next chapter finally! I'm so sorry for getting this out late, but here it is! Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited, and alerted this story! It means a lot to me and I can't thank you guys enough! :D

**DISCLAIMER: **Everyone belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

As he walked home, Jak couldn't help but think about what had been bothering him. Somehow, he had managed to quietly slip out of school, leaving Daxter there with Tess, as he began the walk home. His birthday was approaching: all he could think about was the day he had acquired his Dark powers. That incident had taken place a little bit before his birthday, and a year later, he remembered being granted Light Powers for his seventeenth birthday. He grinned to himself for a minute as he remembered Daxter's kind gesture.

Suddenly, like a light bulb going off in his head, Jak thought of an idea. What if he decided to take a flight around Haven City for a little while to take his mind off things? Sure, people might question a big ball of Light Eco in the air, and there was the off chance that Veger might still be lurking through the streets, but the Wastelander still considered himself to be a daredevil. As far as he was concerned, Veger was not a threat at this point. Closing his eyes, Jak took a deep breath as he heard the familiar low humming, and as he clapped his hands together, he suddenly watched as the familiar, white-blue light from Light Eco glowed around him. Grinning to himself, he was just getting ready to spread his wings and take off when a voice interrupted him.

"_Jak_?"

Whirling around, Jak gasped as he came face to face with Erol, who was quickly covering his eyes to block out the brightness from the Light Eco. Jak quickly closed his eyes again, and with a _poof_, Light Jak disappeared and the Wastelander returned to his normal form. Opening his blue eyes again, he narrowed them at the redhead.

"_Erol,_" he fumed.

"What are you doing?" Erol asked, crossing his arms, "What was that?"

"Didn't you hear?" Jak replied, "I don't just channel Dark Eco like this."

Erol narrowed his eyes for a second. "I'm aware," was all he said, "I remember that from the attack out in the Wasteland. After you saved Veger's life."

Jak just nodded silently, but he noticed that Erol wasn't moving, so he decided to ask something else.

"Is there something you wanted?" he questioned.

At this, the redhead smirked. "Oh, it was nothing," he retorted, "You know, just enjoying the nice day."

"Just spit it out, Erol! I don't have time for this!"

"You're so impatient, Jak. Fine, I'll tell you why I'm here." Jak crossed his arms this time.

"I overheard your little friends talking at lunch today," Erol explained, "They're thinking about excluding you from their group."

Jak tightened his arms even more. "Really?" he asked, "I don't believe you."

"You can ask them yourselves. They were thinking of meeting at times when you weren't around. They're leaving you, Eco Freak. They've had enough of your drama."

"Shut up, Erol!" Jak snapped, feeling Dark Jak burst at the seams, "You're a liar!"

But Erol only shrugged nonchalantly. "You see what they did to me," was all he said, "They edged me out when you arrived here. And now they're kicking you out as well."

"I still don't believe you. Dax and I have been through thick and thin. He wouldn't abandon me like this."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. I saw him with them, too." At this, Jak shook his head and began to walk away.

"You're in denial, Jak!" Erol shouted after him, "They're getting tired of you! Just like they got tired of me!"

* * *

"Okay, so what are some ideas for throwing a surprise birthday party?" Tess asked as she, Keira, Daxter, Ashelin, Torn, Rayn, and Jinx sat together in Jinx's living room.

"Making sure Jakkie boy has no clue," Jinx piped up, smirking as Rayn smacked him gently in the arm.

"Of course," she replied, "How about decorations? We'll need decorations."

"I know!" Keira cried enthusiastically, "Let's get some desert-themed decorations! To remind him of where he grew up!"

"Leave that to me!" Daxter chirped as Torn, who was the designated note taker, wrote this down on a notepad.

"What about music?" Ashelin suggested, "Everyone loves music. I can try and get that."

"Good call, Ashelin," Torn said, nodding as he wrote that down as well, "Now, where are we hosting this?"

"We can go to my place," Daxter decided, folding his paws together, "But we'll have to get him out of the house so that we can set up."

"Are you going to tell Mr. Damas about this?" Keira asked the ottsel.

"Of course! He'll need to be in on it, too! We can invite the monks and some of his friends from Spargus, too!"

"All right, then," Torn announced, "Daxter, you take care of getting the other guests. Ashelin, you're in charge of music. Rayn and Keira, you two take care of the decorations. How about the rest of us?" He pointed to himself and then Tess and Jinx.

"We can be in charge of making sure Jak doesn't suspect anything," Tess said.

"Sounds like a plan," the auburn-haired boy replied, "Okay, that's done. Thank the Precursors Jak's birthday is on the weekend. We can celebrate then."

"Hooray!" Tess cheered, "This is going to be one awesome party!"

* * *

_Erol's wrong, _Jak thought as he finally made it home, bypassed Damas in the living room, and went up to his room, _Why am I letting what he said bother me? _

"Jak?" his father asked, "Is everything all right?"

"Yeah, Dad!" the Wastelander called back, "Everything's fine!"

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. Where's Dax?"

"Not home yet. I'm sure he got held up at school."

Jak paused for a minute before replying, "I'm sure." He continued upstairs, where he shut the door to his room and took out his books to work on homework. He became so immersed in Physics (which had gone back to being about Blue Eco instead of Dark Eco) when the door suddenly opened. He put his pencil down and turned around in the seat to face Daxter, who was just entering.

"Hey, big guy," the ottsel greeted, "When'd you get home?"

"A while ago," Jak answered, "Where've you been?"

He noticed how Daxter suddenly looked secretive. "Oh, nowhere," he replied cryptically, "I was just out with the others."

"Doing what?"

"Uhh…homework! Yeah, that's it! Tess wanted my opinion on that Blaster Mod she's been working on in Robotics, so I decided to stay!"

Jak nodded, but didn't seem convinced. "Something wrong, buddy?" Daxter asked.

"No," Jak insisted, "No, not at all. I've just got some homework to do." And without another word, he returned to his homework while Daxter crept out of the room.

_I wonder if he suspects already,_ the ottsel thought, and then he shook his head. _No, that can't be it. Not right now. _

_

* * *

_

_**Two days later…**_

"Ready to get some decorations?" Rayn and Jinx asked Keira as she climbed into their Zoomer. Since he had nothing better to do, Jinx had decided to help them out instead.

"You bet!" Keira responded, "Jak's going to be so surprised!"

"I hope," Rayn added.

"Trust me," the Green Sage's daughter said, "He will be."

However, the only really good decorations were located in the Bazaar, which immediately turned Jinx off. "Sugar," he began, addressing Rayn as he continued to drive, "Are you sure there aren't any stores in another part of the city? Like the Port?"

Rayn nodded. "I'm sure," she confirmed, "What's wrong with the Bazaar?"

_My brother's here, that's what, _Jinx thought, _The one I got a restraining order against. But they don't know that. _"Nothing," he said, "I just don't feel like going here today."

"It won't be too long," Keira quipped, "We're just getting some decorations and then leaving."

Jinx sighed and parked right in the middle of the square, by that mysterious woman, Onin's, tent. "We're here," he announced, and they jumped down and entered the store.

The three of them spent about fifteen minutes searching for desert and oasis decorations, but they managed to find some after a while. Some of the decorations were inflatable palm tree balloons, desert-print streamers, and candles with sand bases at the bottom. "Well, that didn't take too long," Rayn said as they stood in line to pay.

Just as Jinx was taking care of paying for everything, the door suddenly opened with a gust of wind, and when Jinx glanced over his shoulder, he spotted Razer entering the store and looking around. "We need to leave!" he announced to the others, "Now!"

"Why?" Rayn asked as she and Keira finished putting everything into bags.

"Let's just go!" Jinx insisted, "Out the back door!"

But it was too late. Razer had spotted them. "Jinxy!" he shouted, "Is that you?"

"_Shit_," Jinx cursed under his breath, "Come on, you two! Let's go!" Keira and Rayn glanced over to see Jinx's older brother as well, and they immediately remembered what had happened in Kras City.

As they power walked towards the other exit, they could hear Razer's footsteps getting louder. "Do you really think a piece of paper is going to keep me away from you, Jinx?" he asked.

"What is he talking about?" Keira asked.

"Just go!" Jinx snapped, "Keep walking!"

"Am I standing far enough away to speak to you?" they heard Razer add after his other question, "You can't run from me forever, Jinx! We come from the same family! You'll be sorry you did this!"

Fortunately, Jinx and his friends had managed to make it out the back door, where they decided to abandon their public Zoomer and find another one. "What was he talking about?" Rayn asked.

"Forget it," Jinx insisted, shaking his head, "He's my problem, not yours. All we need to focus on right now is Jak's birthday party!"

But there was tension between them for the rest of the day as they drove away from the Bazaar.


	43. Birthday Surprises: Part Three

AHH! A million apologies for the insanely long gap in updating this story! I had major writer's block, but I'm back now with another update. Hopefully, this will not happen again! Thank you to those who have still been reading after all this. This is also my first story to make it to past 100,000 words!

**DISCLAIMER: **Everything belongs to Naughty Dog.

* * *

_**Two days later…**_

"Decorations: check," Torn mumbled as everyone except for Jak gathered around at Tess's house, "Music: check. Keeping Jak in the dark: check. Is that everything?"

"Just about," Jinx replied with his traditional smirk as he faced Keira and Rayn, "Right, ladies?"

However, neither Keira nor Rayn answered. "What's wrong?" Jinx asked.

"A few days ago," Rayn sighed, "What was that? With your brother? What was he talking about?"

"Yeah," Keira chimed in, "Why were you so eager to get us out of there?"

Jinx looked away. "Can we not talk about that?" he asked, "I just want to plan Jakky boy's party!"

"Jinx," Ashelin piped up, "If there's something you need to tell us, just tell us. You know what happened the last time you didn't."

"Look, I ain't trying to repeat what happened before the Haven-Kras race."

"So don't," Tess said, "Just tell us what's on your mind."

"How about after Jak's party?" Jinx compromised, "Deal?"

The others glanced at each other. "Deal," Torn decided, "But we're holding you to that. Now, where were we…"

* * *

**_The next morning..._**

"Oh, _Jak_!" Daxter chirped as he burst into his best friend's room to wake him up.

"What is it, Dax?" Jak groaned, turning over on his other side.

"If you got any plans this Saturday, cancel 'em."

"Why?" Jak asked.

"Trust me," the ottsel responded, "You'll see."

And that was what Jak was afraid of.

An hour later, Jak and Daxter met up with the rest of their friends outside Haven High, as always. "Still no sign of Veger or any of them, right?" Keira asked worriedly.

"Nope!" Daxter cried, shaking his head.

"Good," Ashelin sighed, "Maybe now, we can start focusing on our school work again."

And with that, the bell rang, signaling the beginning of the day.

By the time Jak, Daxter, Keira, Ashelin, and Torn arrived at Physics, they were surprised to see that Vin was handing out what looked like review books. "What's this all about, Dr. Vin?" Keira asked as they all took their usual seats.

"E-even with recent events," Vin stammered, "I hope you haven't forgotten about your senior year exams."

Everyone groaned. "Senior year exams?" Jak echoed to his friends.

"Yeah," Torn said, "They're the exams that determine whether or not you graduate. We take those in place of our finals."

"In that case, can we ignore what Gol and Maia Acheron taught us?" Daxter asked, sending Keira and Ashelin into fits of laughter.

"I think so," Ashelin chuckled, "This is a Blue Eco class."

Jak just laughed to himself as he caught a glimpse of Erol glaring at him from over his notebook. The redhead just shook his head as he dove back into his last-minute homework assignment. For a second, he thought about what Erol had told him about his friends, but then forgot about it a second later. He wondered why Daxter, who never kept a secret from him in his life, was being so hush hush all of a sudden.

"Dax?" Jak whispered, "Is there something you want to tell me?"

"About what?" Daxter asked in surprise.

"Anything."

"Uhh…" the ottsel started, but didn't finish.

"N-no talking back there!" Vin scolded, and the demolition duo fell silent once again.

* * *

"I think he suspects something," Daxter announced to Keira and Ashelin during their break as soon as Jak had gone to use the men's room, "I don't know if it's the party, but it's definitely _something._"

"Nobody slipped up, did they?" Keira asked worriedly.

"Course not," Ashelin insisted, "We've all been secretive."

"So why else would he be suspicious of us?" Keira wondered.

In that moment, all three of them spotted Erol hurriedly walking past them with his head down. "Stay here," Daxter whispered, "Orange Lightning is on the case." He scampered away and began to follow the captain of the racing team down the hallway. There was something about Erol that wasn't sitting right with the ottsel, and not just because he had been one of the ones that tormented Jak this whole time.

Erol turned down the hallway until he arrived at his locker, where he grabbed a few books and tossed some others into the small space. Daxter made sure to keep himself hidden the whole time while he watched this.

Suddenly, he heard the redhead's cell phone ring, and Erol looked around quickly before picking it up. "Mog," he whispered into the phone, "It's not working anymore. Jak's not getting angry with his friends." Daxter widened his eyes from where he hid as he continued to eavesdrop.

"I'm going to have to try something else," Erol quipped, "Something that'll really convince him that his friends are ditching him. Something like-"

"Is that a cell phone I see?" Sig's harsh voice suddenly asked, interrupting Erol's conversation. Ever since Sig became the interim principal of Haven High, he made sure the school was being run properly, including confiscating cell phones if need be.

"You know what they say about that," Sig continued.

"Sorry, sir," Erol apologized insincerely, "It won't happen again."

"It better not," Sig warned before moving on. He then glanced down at the floor and happened to notice Daxter standing there.

"What are you doing down there, chili pepper?" he asked before continuing on his way.

_No! _Daxter thought, realizing that Sig had just accidentally given away his position. Erol also glanced down.

"You!" he gasped, "What are you doing here?"

"Uhh…_nothing_!" Daxter insisted, "Just…catching you in the middle of your diabolical planning!"

"Keep your mouth shut!" Erol snapped, grabbing the ottsel off the floor and shutting him in his locker.

"Hey!" Daxter shouted, "I'm Orange Lightning! You can't lock me in here! I'll scratch my way out!"

"You're not telling Jak about this," Erol replied, smirking as he hoisted his bag over his shoulder and walked away.

* * *

"Where's Daxter?" Jak asked as soon as he returned from the bathroom and took his place next to Keira.

"He went to follow Erol," Keira explained, "I don't know why, though." Jak then raised his eyebrows.

"Is there something going on with him that you guys aren't telling me?" he asked.

"Not that we know about," Ashelin retorted, "Why? Did he tell you something?"

"That's just it. He won't say a word."

The girls shrugged just as a girl none of them had ever talked to before dashed over to them. "Thank Mar I found you!" she gasped.

"What's going on?" Jak asked her cautiously.

"Your little friend's stuck in one of the lockers!"

Jak, Keira, and Ashelin all glanced at each other. "Which one?" Ashelin asked.

"Erol's."


	44. IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hey, guys. Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I'm currently in writer's block right now for this story. I also wanted to announce that I'm switching the status to Complete for now, because I'm going to go back and revise this story. I want to focus it more on the school (still keeping all the different plot lines for the different characters, as well as the big mystery plot with Veger), as well as fix any potential OOC. Sorry once again, but I'd like to make the chapters longer as well. Thanks for reading this!

-EcoSeeker247


	45. AUTHOR'S NOTE: Newer Version of Story

Hey, guys. Sorry I haven't updated in a long time. I know I said I was going to be making revisions to this story, and I am. But I don't want to take down the original, so I'll be posting a newer version of the story under the name "The Perils of Haven High". So if you want to read it, it'll be there, and I'll leave the old version up so that anyone who wants to still read it can. I won't be changing too much of the plot, but since the original Haven High was one of my first stories here, I want to revise it so that it's more in line with the canon, 'cause I realized I pretty much completely changed the canon timeline. I was still a new Jak and Daxter fan at the time, so that's another reason I want to make this new version. So if you're interested, look for "The Perils of Haven High". Thank you!

-EcoSeeker247


End file.
